On Wednesday, the 21st, I went to Amānābād for the
purpose of sport. Some days before this, in accordance
with orders, Khwāja Jahān, and Qiyām K., the head
huntsman, had chosen a wide plain for a qamargha hunt,
and drawn an enclosure round it, and driven within it many
antelope from the neighbouring plains. As I had vowed that
I would hereafter not kill any living thing with my own
hand, it occurred to me to take them all alive, and place them
within the Chaugān (polo-ground) of Fathpur, so that I
might both enjoy the pleasure of sport and that at the same
time no harm should happen to them. I accordingly took
700 head and sent them to Fathpur. As the hour for entering
the capital was near, I ordered Rāy Mān, khidmatiyya,*
to
put up a screen on two sides, like a lane, from the hunting-
On Friday, the 30th, the mother*
of Shāh-Jahān attained
the mercy of God. The next day I myself went to the house
of that precious son, and having condoled with him in every
way, took him with me to the palace. On Sunday, the
1st Urdībihisht, at the auspicious hour chosen by the astrologers
and astronomers, I mounted a special elephant of the
name of Dilīr, and in all prosperity and happiness entered
the city. A great crowd of people, men and women, had
collected together in the streets and bazaars, and at the
gates and walls, expecting me. According to custom, I went
on, scattering money on the way, to inside the palace. From
the date on which the army of prosperity started for this
happily terminated journey until now, when I returned in
happiness and good fortune, it was five years, seven months,
and nine days. At this time I ordered my son Sulān Parwīz
that, as a long time had passed during which he had been
deprived of waiting on me personally, or had been fortunate
enough to pay his respects, if he were desirous of meeting me,
he should come to Court. On the arrival of the gracious
farmān, that son, considering the manifestation of this favour
a gift from the hidden world, turned the face of his hope
towards the sphere-resembling Court. At this time I gave
away, as a means of livelihood, to Faqirs and deserving people
44,786 bighas of land, and two entire villages, with 320 ass-
One of the occurrences of this time is the revolt of Allāhdād, son of Jalāl, the Afghan. The details of this are that when Mahābat K. obtained leave to go and take possession of Bangash and overthrow the Afghans, from an idea that that wretch would do some service in return for the favours and kindness I had conferred on him, he prayed that he might take him with him. As the natural tendency of such ungrateful men, who do not recognize what is right, tends to enmity and malevolence, by way of precaution it was decided to send his son and brother to the Court that they might be as hostages. After the arrival there of his son and brother, I, by way of comforting them, did them all kinds of kindness, but, as they have said:
“The blanket of fortune of anyone that has been woven black
Cannot be whitened even by the waters of Zamzam and Kauar.”
From the day on which he arrived in that country the signs of rascality and want of recognition of the right began to be apparent on the cheeks of his affairs, and Mahābat K., in order to control matters, did not loose from his hand the rope of forbearance until, at this time, he sent a force under the leadership of his son against a band of Afghans, and sent Allāhdād with him. When they reached the purposed place, from the enmity and malevolence of the aforesaid, that attack did not succceed, and they returned with their aim uncompleted. The evil-dispositioned Allāhdād, from a suspicion lest this time Mahābat K. should abandon his method of conciliation, and ascertain the real state of affairs, and that he should be caught in recompense for his evil deeds, lifted up the veil of reverence, and betrayed involuntarily the faithlessness to his salt, which he had till then concealed. When I heard from Mahābat K.'s letter the true state of affairs, I ordered them to imprison his son and brother in the fort of Gwalior. As it had happened (Jalāl Tārīkī), the father of this wretch had also fled from the service of the late king, and for years passed his time in thieving and highway robbery, until he was caught in the recompense of his own evil deeds. It is hoped that this rascal will also soon obtain the reward of his bad actions.
On Thursday, the 5th, Mān Singh, s. Rāwat Shankar, who was one of the auxiliaries of Bihar, was promoted to the mansab of 1,000 personal and 600 horse. I sent off ‘Āqil K. to look after the cavalry,* and inquire into the corps of the mansabdars who had been appointed for duty in Bangash, and gave him an elephant. I sent as a gift to Mahābat K. a private dagger made after the Māzandarān fashion, along with Dūst Beg. The offering of Monday was given as a present to Maḥmūd Āb-dār, who from the time when I was a prince and the days of my childhood had served me. Mīrān (not Bīzan,* as in the printed book), son-in-law of Pāyanda K. Moghul, was promoted to the mansab of 700 personal and 450 horse. Muḥammad Ḥusain, brother of Khwāja Jahān, who was Bakhshi of Kāngra, was promoted to the mansab of 600 personal and 450 horse. On this day Tarbiyat K., who is one of the hereditary houseborn ones of this Court, and had been enrolled among the Amirs by reason* of his good disposition, died. He was not devoid of sluggishness (nā-murādī, literally want of desires) and self-indulgence (salāmat-i-nafs), and was a young man fond of pleasure (‘ayyāsh-ṭabī‘at). He wished to pass his whole life at ease, and was devoted to Hindu music and did not understand it badly. He was a man void of evil. Rāja Sūraj Singh was raised to the mansab of 2,000 personal and horse. To Karamu-llah, s. ‘Alī Mardān K. Bahādur, Bāqir K., Faujdar of Multan, Malik Muḥibb Afghan, and Maktūb K. were given elephants. Sayyid Bāyazīd Bhakkarī, to whom was entrusted the charge of the fort of Bhakkar and the faujdarship of that region, was also honoured with an elephant. Amānu-llah, s. Mahābat K. was distinguished with the gift of a jewelled dagger. I gave elephants to Shaikh Aḥmad Hānsī, Shaikh ‘Abdu-l-Laīf Sambhalī, the eunuch Firāsat K., and Rāy Kunwar Chand Mustaufī (auditor). Muḥammad Shafī‘ Bakhshi of the Panjab, was raised to the mansab of 500 personal and 300 horse. The mansab of 500 personal and 150 horse was conferred on Mūnis, s. Mihtar* K. He (Mūnis) had charge of the fort of Kālinjar.
On this day arrived the news of the death of Shāh-nawāz K.
s. the Commander-in-Chief Khān Khānān. It was the cause
of distress of mind to me. At the time when that Ātālīq
(Khān Khānān) took leave from waiting on me, it had been
strictly impressed upon him that, as it had been repeatedly
brought to my ear that Shāh-nawāz K. had been maddened
with wine and drank immoderately, if there was truth in this
it was a pity that he should destroy himself at his age. It
was necessary that he should not leave him to his own way,
but look after his case properly. If he could not leave his
charge himself, he should write a clear report, so that, having
summoned him into my presence, I might give the best order
practicable under the circumstances. When he arrived at
Burhanpur, having found Shāh-nawāz Khān very weak and
low, he tried to make some remedy for him. After some days'
confinement to bed (literally, lord of the carpet) he fell on the
couch of powerlessness. Whatever remedies and plans the
physicians employed were of no avail, and in the best time of
his youth and prosperity, in the thirty-third year of his age,
to the sorrow and grief of the world, he went to the place of
the mercy and pardon of God. On hearing this unpleasant
news I was greatly grieved, for in truth he was an intelligent
youth and born in the house. He would have performed
important services in this State, and left great traces behind
him. Although this road is before all, and there is no escape
for anyone out of the command of destiny, yet it appears
sad to depart in this fashion. It is hoped he will be among
those who are pardoned. I sent Rāja Sārang Deo, who was
one of my close attendants and is a tactful person, to the
Ātālīq, and favoured and consoled him in every way. The
mansab of 5,000 held by Shāh-nawāz I added on to those of
his brothers and sons. To Dārāb, his younger brother, I gave
the mansab of 5,000 personal, original and increased, and
presented him with a dress of honour, an elephant, a horse,
and a jewelled sword, and gave him leave to go to his father
to fill, in place of Shāh-nawāz, the post of governor of Berar
and Ahmadnagar. Raḥmān-dād, another brother, I promoted
to the mansab of 2,000 and 800 horse. Manūchahr, s. Shāh-
In Ahmadabad I had two male mārkhūr goats. As I had not a female in my establishment to pair with them, it occurred to me that if I could pair them with Barbary goats, which they bring from Arabia, especially from the port of the city of Darkhar,* young of their form and qualities might be obtained. In short, I paired them with seven Barbary ewes, and after six months had elapsed each of the latter had a young one at Fathpur: there were four females and three males, very pleasing in appearance, of good shape and good colour. In their colour, those (kids) which resembled the male (taka, not baka, as in the printed copy) were dun-coloured with black stripes on their backs. Red,* indeed, appears to me a more pleasing colour than any other, and it is the mark of a better breed. Of their liveliness and laughable ways and their manner of gamboling and leaping, what can be written? Some of their ways are such that the mind derived uncontrolled pleasure from looking at them. It is notorious that painters cannot draw properly the motions of a kid. Granting that they may chance to draw the movements of an ordinary kid after a fashion, they certainly would have to acknowledge themselves at a loss how to draw the motions of these kids. When one month, or even twenty days old, they would leap up upon high places and throw themselves on to the ground in a way that if any other but a kid were to do so, not one limb would be left whole. As it pleased me, I ordered them always to be kept near me, and I gave each of them an appropriate name. I am much delighted with them, and pay great attention to bringing together mārkhūr males and well-bred she-goats. I desire to have many young ones from them, and that they may become well known among men. After their young shall have paired, most probably more delicate ones will be obtained. One of their peculiarities is that ordinary kids immediately they are born, and until they begin to suck, make a great bleating, whilst these, on the contrary, make no sound, and stand quite contented and without wailing. Perhaps their flesh would be very pleasant to the taste.