As yet the arranging mind was not at rest about the doings of Iskandar, and it was watching the commotion at Kabul, when news came to Jālandhar on 31 Mihr, divine month—8 Ẕi-Ḥajja (13th October, 1556), of the arrival of Hemū, in whose brain the ambition of sover­eignty was stirring, and of whom some account has been already given; of his engaging in battle with the great officers, of their want of steadiness, and of his having taken possession of Delhi. The short account of these events is as follows: Battles took place between Hemū and Ibrāhīm, who was a claimant for the Sultanate, and the former was always victorious. Sulān Muḥammad, who had assumed the kingly title in Bengal, was also defeated, and was made to tread the land of annihilation. Hemū also engaged in conflicts with Tāj Kararānī and Rukn Khān Nūḥānī and defeated them. He fought two and twenty battles with the opponents of Mubāriz Khān, and was victorious in all of them. His victories impressed him with evil ideas, and he did not perceive that the victory of a futile person over one more futile than himself is no reason for being bold enough to tilt against a mountain of iron. At the time when H.M. Jahānbānī, with the assistance of the armies of God, conquered India, Hemū was otherwise engaged, and his vain imaginings did not show themselves. Now that the masnad of the Caliphate was resplendent from the personality of H.M. the Shāhinshāh, he turned his attention from his rivals and, with a large force of men and war-elephants from the eastern districts, marched towards Delhi, leaving Mubāriz Khān, of whom some account has been already given, in Cunār. The officers who had been deputed to those provinces assembled at Delhi. Tardī Beg Khān became the arranger of the different bodies, and made preparations for giving battle. He heartened every man by language which might give comfort to the disconcerted. Many brave and zealous men came in from the districts, but 'Ali Qulī Shaibānī, who was engaged in Sambal in putting down some despicable Afghans, could not join the imperial servants.

The short account of this is that Shādī Khān, one of the chief officers of Mubāriz Khān, had many parganas of Sarkār Sambal in his possession. 'Alī Qulī Khan proceeded this year, which was the beginning of the Divine Era—may it for ever be conjoined with auspiciousness!—to put him down. He sent before himself several of his own officers such as Muḥabbat Khān, Laīf Khān, and Ghīāu-d-dīn, in order that they should cross the Ruhab* and wait for his arrival. The wine of courage withheld this force from plan and precaution, which are the first stage of prudence. Shādī Khān suddenly fell upon them and routed them. These incapable ones fought without method and let slip the reins of steadiness. Laīf Khān and a number of others were drowned. 'Alī Qulī Khān on hearing of this misfortune proceeded with a body of his troops, with whom were Mahdī Qāsim Khān, Bābā S'aīd Qibcāq, and Muḥammad Amīn Dīwāna, to attack Shādī Khān. On the morning of the day that he had determined on crossing the river, a letter arrived from Tardī Beg Khān stating that Hemū was coming with large prepara­tion, that the crushing of that wretch was the most important matter, and that he should come immediately. 'Alī Qulī Khān withdrew his hand from his enterprise and marched towards Delhi, but before he arrived, the officers had fought and lost a great battle, and Delhi, the capital of India, had fallen into Hemū's hands, thus furnishing materials for his intoxication, and for the increase of his arrogance. This happened by fate for purposes known to God alone, or it was brought about by evil designs on the part of Maulānā Pīr Muḥd. Shirwānī. Away! Away! the cause rather was that the vaunting, self-praising officers might not lay the Lord of the earth under any obligation; or rather it was to show the supreme power of this Lord of the throne of fortune, and that the new conquest of India might be due to the arm of him who was helped by heaven.

The brief account of this instructive disaster is as follows: The victories of this wretch (Hemū) over the opponents of Mubāriz Khān —those giddy ones of the baiting place of destruction—had led him into evil imaginings, and when the news of the unavoidable event of H.M. Jahanbānī Jinnat Āshiyānī's death reached the provinces, he, out of short-sightedness, took into consideration the confusion of the time and had the audacity to determine that he would give battle to the sublime army of H.M. the Shāhinshāh, for whom the Divine aid is security. That shallow superficialist made the youthful years of the great one, over whose might a luminous veil had been cast, a cause of increasing his courage. The abundant wealth, and the numbers of soldiers and munitions of war, which had been left by so many rulers of India, added to his boldness and daring, as also did the evacuation by victorious officers of the cities and towns of the dominions. At length he set off on his evil enterprise with 50,000 cavalry, 1,000 elephants, 51 cannon, and 500 falconets.

Tardī Beg Khān prepared the materials of resistance in Delhi, and having called together the officers who had come in from their posts, made arrangements for battle. He both made his own heart strong in courage, and heartened those who were deficient. At length on 24 Mihr, Divine month, of the first year, corresponding to Tuesday 1 Ẕīḥajja 963, (6th October, 1556), Hemū the wretch arrived near Delhi with all his equipments and encamped in Taghlaqābād; the officers assembled and deliberated. Many of the brave men from motives of prudence, and some out of cowardice, were not willing to fight. They said that until the Shāhinshāh's army arrived they should by every possible means strengthen the fort and should seek an opportunity of making a night attack. Some recommended wait­ing till the arrival of 'Alī Qulī Khān and the officers of that country (Sambal). Some heroes who would give their lives for fame, and to whose loyal minds the battlefield was more attractive than the banquet-hall, were saying, “Let us regard the opportunity as a boon and engage.”

Fortune cries “quits” to him
Who does to-day's work to-morrow.

At length they all decided upon giving battle, and all girded up the loins of courage. On the day of Ārād 25 Mihr, Divine month, corresponding to 2 Ẕīḥajja, (7th October, 1556), both armies drew up. The centre was commanded by Tardī Beg Khān, Afẓal Khān, Ashraf Khān, and Maulānā Pīr Muḥd. Shirwānī, who had come there as Bairām Khān's agent to look after the affairs of the imperial servants, or with malicious intent and in order to confound Tardī Beg Khān's prosperity, were also in the centre. Ḥaidar Muḥd. Khān, Qāsim Makhliṣ, Ḥaidar Bakhshī, 'Alī Dost Khān Bārbegī, and a number of others were on the right wing, and Iskandar Khān and another body were on the left wing. 'Abdullah Uzbeg, Qīyā Khān, L'al Khān and a number of others formed the vanguard. On the side of the enemy also the troops were drawn up in martial style, and they came for­ward and made manful endeavours. The heroes on both sides cast the thought of life from their hearts, and did great deeds. The intrepid spirits of the vanguard and left wing of the army of fortune displayed valour, and drove off before them the vanguard and right wing of the enemy, and followed in pursuit of them. Their deeds and valour were such that the souls of Rustam and Isfandīyār sang their praises, and that the voice of the Age and of mankind extolled them a thousand times. Four hundred noted elephants were among the spoil, and Rai Ḥusain Jalwānī,* a leading man among the enemy, was overwhelmed in the ocean of annihilation. More than three thousand of the ill-fated foe descended in the fight to the dust of non-existence.

The proud Hemū, who joined extreme daring to craft was ever following feline stratagems. He collected 300 chosen elephants and a body of life-sacrificing men, and separated them from the rest of his army and awaited the moment for flight or for fight. At the time when the victorious army had gained such an advantage and were pursuing the fugitives, and while a body of them was busied in plun­dering and in carrying off the spoil, Tardī Beg Khān, who held the post* of honour on this field of bravery, was standing with a small force contemplating the scene. The cunning Hemū saw his oppor­tunity and attacked them. The comrades of Khwājah* Sulān 'Ali, who had the title of Afzal Khān, and of Mīr Munshī, who was called Ashraf* Khān, and a number of others—altogether they* were but few—did not behave with courage; and Maulānā Pīr Muḥammad Shirwānī* also chose flight in order to ruin the Commander-in-chief­ship of Tardī Beg Khān. Tardī Beg Khān, the time of whose retri­bution for past disloyalty was near at hand, reckoned his life as dear, and chose the ignominy of flight. Thus when things were so far advanced, and such a victory had displayed her countenance, there came a catastrophe.