Faizi, Akbar and Sanskrit literature
The Mughal period in India was a fascinating and intriguing period from the perspective of development and dissemination of Sanskrit literature. For example, Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Shah Jahan, seems to have personally translated fifty Upanishads into Persian in addition to the Bhagavad Gītā and the Yoga Vasiṣṭa. It is Dara Shikoh’s Persian translations of the Upanishads which were then translated into Latin by Anquetil Duperron and which thereby influenced European thinkers such as Arthur Schopenhauer. Reading these Persian translations also directly influenced Sir William Jones to pursue his studies of Sanskrit further.
Although the interest of Islamic scholars in Sanskrit texts began at an early date, with Amir Khusro studying many such texts in the 14th century, this was scaled up hugely during the reign of Akbar. During his reign, Akbar set up a Maktab Khana or ‘literary institute’ with talented scholars and artists, who translated many Sanskrit works into Persian. The most ambitious project of the literary institute was to make a complete translation of the entire Mahābhārata into Persian, richly illustrated with miniature paintings depicting the key scenes. Various copies or partial copies of this work with its illustrations are extant in India and museums around the world. As Prof. John Sellyer explains -
“During Akbar’s reign (1556–1605)…
