I te eg) iy rr gL RE — nee em —— a ee fe i a ee n,n ey ee ea eee 
1923. | Hinduism according to Muslim Sufis. 243 
The book “ Sirr-i-Akbar’’ commences with Om Shri Gane- 
shai Nomoh. The opening chapter of the Qur’dn is called 
by Dara Shikoh Ornu’l—Qur’an (for Ummu’l-Qur’an) to 
or theosophy and wrote several booklets on the subjec - 
his thirst for knowledge increased, there arose doubts which 
could not be satisfied except by the words of G ere 
understand them. He wanted to seek the truth from other 
heavenly books, so that if there was in one book anything 
concise, in the other it might be more detailed. He studied 
tioned in a mysterious way, and owing to imperfect translations 
made by interested persons their meaning was unintelligible. 
While no one of Hindustan doubted or questioned the mono- 
theism of ancient Indians. why did, queries Dara Shikoh, the 
ignorant men of his time wrangle about the present-day 
of monotheism. As he wanted to know the truth, and not in 
what language it was written—whether in Arabic, Syrian, 
‘Traqi (Chaldaic) or Shanskrit—he determined to collect all 
the Upanikhats, which were the mine of monotheism, and the 
number of those who understood their meaning was growing 
] The work was translated into Persian without subtrac- 
tion or addition, or selfish motive, faithfully and word for 
word for his use. As these secrets were kept concealed from 
the followers of Islam, he wished to know the real facts. The 
earliest of the heavenly books and the spring of the mono- 
