When I was prince I had entrusted, in consequence of my extreme confidence* in him, my own ūzuk seal* to the Amīru-l-umarā (Sharīf), but when he was sent off to the province of Bihar I made it over to Parwīz. Now that Parwīz went off against the Rānā, I made it over, according to the former arrangement, to the Amīru-l-umarā.
Parwīz was born of Ṣāḥib-Jamāl (Mistress of Beauty), the cousin* of Zain Khān Koka, who, in point of affinity, was on the same footing* as Mīrzā ‘Azīz Koka, in the 34th year of my father's reign, in the city of Kabul, two years and two months after the birth of Khusrau. After several other children had been born to me and had been received into God's mercy, a daughter was born of Karamsī,* who belonged to the Rāṭhor clan, and the child received the name of Bihār Bānū Begam. To Jagat Gosā'īn,* daughter of the Mota Raja (the fat raja), was born Sulān Khurram, in the 36th year of my father's reign, corresponding to A.H. 999,* in the city of Lahore. His advent made the world joyous (khurram),* and gradually, as his years increased, so did his excellencies, and he was more attentive to my father than all (my) other children, who was exceedingly pleased with and grateful for his services, and always recommended him to me and frequently told me there was no comparison between him and my other children. He recognised him as his real child.
After that (Khurram's birth) some other children were born who died in infancy, and then within one month two sons were borne by concubines. One of these I called Jahāndār and the other Shahryār.*
About this time there came a petition from Sa‘īd Khān with regard to granting leave to Mīrzā Ghāzī, who was a son of the ruler of the province of Thathah (Tattah in Sind).* I said that as my father had betrothed his sister to my son Khusrau, please God, when this alliance came into force, I would give him leave to return to Sind.
A year before I became king I had determined that I would drink no wine on Friday eve, and I hope at the throne of God that He will keep me firm in this resolve as long as I live.
Twenty thousand rupees were given to Mīrzā Muḥammad Riẓā Sabzwārī to divide amongst the faqirs and the needy of Delhi. The viziership of my dominions I gave in the proportions of half and half to Khān Beg,* to whom when I was prince I had given the title of Wazīru-l-mulk, and to Wazīr Khān* (Muqīm), and I gave to Shaikh Farīd Bukhārī, who held the rank of 4,000, that of 5,000. I promoted Rām Dās Kachhwāha, whom my father had favoured, and who held the rank of 2,000, to that of 3,000. I sent dresses of honour to Mīrzā Rustam, son of Mīrzā Sulān Ḥusain and grandson of Shāh Ismā‘īl, the ruler of Qandahar, and to ‘Abdu-r-Raḥīm Khānkhānān, son of Bairām Khān, and to Īraj and Dārāb, his sons, and to other nobles attached to the Deccan (command). Barkhūrdār, son of ‘Abdu-r-Raḥmān, son of Mu'ayyid Beg, as he had come to court without a summons, I ordered back to his jagir.* It is not according to good manners to go to the king's banquet without a summons, otherwise there would be no forbidding of the doors and walls to the foot of desire.
A month had elapsed after my auspicious accession
when Lāla Beg, who while I was prince had obtained the
title of Bāz Bahādur, obtained the blessing of waiting on
me. His rank, which had been 1,500, was raised to 4,000.
I promoted him to the Subah of Bihar and gave him
2,000 rupees. Bāz Bahādur is of the lineage of the special
attendants of our family; his father's name was Niām,
and he was librarian to Humāyūn. Kesho Dās Mārū, who
is a Rājpūt of the province of Mairtha and is greater in
loyalty than his contemporaries, I promoted to the rank of
1,500. I directed the ‘ulamā and the learned men of Islam
to collect those of the distinctive appellations of God which
were easy to remember, in order that I might make them
into my rosary*
(ward). On Friday eves*
I associate with
learned and pious men, and with dervishes and recluses.
When Qilīj Khān, who was one of the old retainers of the
State in my revered father's reign, was appointed to the
government of the province of Gujarat, I presented him
with a lakh of rupees for his expenses. I raised Mīrān
Ṣadr Jahān from the rank of 2,000 to that of 4,000.
I knew him in my childhood when I read the “Forty
Sayings” with Shaikh ‘Abdu-n-Nabī,*
whose history is
given in detail in the Akbarnāma. From these early days
till now Mīrān Ṣadr Jahān has acted towards me with
single-minded loyalty, and I regard him as my preceptor
in religious matters (khalīfa). Whilst I was prince and
before my revered father's illness, and during that time,
when the ministers (pillars of the State) and the high
nobles had become agitated, and each had conceived some
idea of gain for himself and wished to become the originator
of some act which could only bring ruin on the State, he
had not failed in the activity of his service and devotedness.
Having made ‘Ināyat Beg,*
who for a long period in the
reign of my father had been Master of Works (Dīwān-i-
As it was my desire that many of the Akbarī and Jahāngīrī officers should obtain the fruition of their wishes, I informed the bakhshis that whoever wished to have his birthplace made into his jagir should make a representation to that effect, so that in accordance with the Chingīz canon (tūra) the estate might be conveyed to him by āl tamghā and become his property, and he might be secured from apprehension of change. Our ancestors and forefathers were in the habit of granting jagirs to everyone under proprietary title, and adorned the farmans for these with the āl tamghā seal, which is an impressed seal made in vermilion (i.e. red ink). I ordered that they should cover the place for the seal with gold-leaf (ilāposh) and impress the seal thereon, and I called this the altūn* tamghā.