AVTAR MOTA
Not many amongst us know that the first Urdu Gazal was written by a Kashmiri Pandit named Chander Mohan Bhan better known as Chander Bhan ‘Brahman’ . He used Brahman as his pen name or Takhallus. Chandar Bhan used his caste name as his Takhallus. The need for that identification was a sign that Chander Bhan was secure in both worlds – a “sacred thread wearing” man from the learned castes who also counted among his mentors the Mughal officials who happened to be Muslim and were deeply spiritual. Most were like Chandar Bhan himself, affected and influenced by this Indo-Persian ethos of seeking harmony and showing a “mystical civility” toward all.
Son of Pandit Dharam Das Bhan, a respected government official during the rule of Jahangir, Chander Bhan Brahman was an accomplished scholar, author , polyglot ,poet and philosopher . He was well versed in Persian, Arabic , Hindi ,Sanskrit and Urdu . As young boy, he mastered most of the standard works of Persian lan¬guage and literature under the tutelage of Abd-al-Hakim Sialkoti , Mīr Abd-al-Karīm (mīr-a emārat “superintendent of buildings” at La¬hore), and Jafar Khan . He studied Persian calligraphy with the governor of Lahore Mulla Sokr-Allah Afżal Khan , Āqā Abd-al-Rasid, and Kefayat Khan . Before joining the court of Shahjahan ,Brahman served as secretary to a number of highly placed figures in the time of Shahjahan : Āsaf Khan (commander of the royal forces at Lahore), Islam Khan, Allāmī Sad-Allāh Khan , Mo azzam Khan, Ināyat Khan, and Afżal Khan (Wazīr-al-Mulk ). Through contact with them his own literary tastes were refined, and he developed a strong affinity for Sufis and saints. After the death of Afżal Khan, his nephew Aqeel Khan presented Brahman to Shahjahan and recommended him for a suitable post in the Royal Court. The emperor was highly impressed by Barahman’s deep knowledge of Persian literature and by his calligraphy . That is how Brahman entered Shahjan’s court
Brahman belonged to a Kashmiri Pandit family that had come to live in Lahore during the rule of Jahangir . He worked as Munshi (secretary) to Shahjahan. Chander Bhan remained in the service of Shahjahan for 30 years. He was very close to the emperor and used to write his diary. Chander Bhan “Brahman” stayed with the king during his travels and wrote down the circumstances of his travels. Later, he was given the responsibility of writing down the details of the Emperor’s visit to various countries. For historians, Chander Bhan’s books are the key source of information on Shahjahan’s reign. Shahjahan was highly impressed by Brahman’s knowledge of Persian literature . Obviously, a linguist king like Shahjahan could not have entrusted the job of writing his diary to a non-linguist. He also worked on compiling Sanskrit epistemology. Chander Bhan was an Urdu-Persian poet and also a great scholar of Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. He authored several books on Sufism and literature. The following works by Brahman are mentioned by his biographers and also by him in his letters . However, only a few of them are extant.
A Divan containing 342 Gazals, 36 quatrains , and some brief didactic Masanawis in Persian .
Chahar-chaman, a historical composition with four chapters
Goldasta-e Chanhar-chaman extracts from Chahar-chaman
Tofat al-wozarā (Gems of the viziers).
Kār-nāma (Chronicle).
Tofat al fosahā (Gems of literary language).
Majma al-foqarā (Collection of Sufi writings).
Monšaāt (letters), a collection of 128 letters div¬ided into five sections, according to whether they are addressed to kings, statesmen, friends, and the like, all with brief forms of address, in contrast to the normal practice of the time.
Roqqaāt (fragments).
Mokālamāt-e Dārā-Šokūh wa Bābā Lāl, the Persian translation of a mystical discourse between Dara Shikoh and Bābā Lāl, a Hindu ascetic, that took place at Brahman’s residence .
Chander Bhan “Brahman “ is one of the few Persian-language Indian poets who have been recognized by the people of Iran. His poetry dwelt in subjects of Tawhid, Sufism and Vedanta. .Brahman was probably the first gifted Hindu poet and writer in Persian, a product of the Indo-Persian culture that flourished under the Mughals. His work in Persian has attracted the attention of modern day Persian scholars including Prof Zabiollah Safa .
Chander Bhan’s family moved from Kashmir to Lahore and then to Agra . He was also given some Jagir in Agra by the Mughal Emperor . He is believed to have died sometime after the death of Shahjahan.. Chander Bhan Brahman’s proximity to Shahjahan made the latter entrust him the complete responsibility of education and upbringing of his favourite son, Prince Dara Shikoh, who rose to become a literary figure. Apart from Arabic and Persian literature, Brahman also passed on the knowledge of Vedanta and Islamic Tassavuf to young Dara who grew up to become a liberal and open minded person . Dara was also an ardent follower of Sufi mystic Mian Mir . A proponent of peace and tolerance, Mian Mir is famously known as a friend of Guru Arjan Dev . Mian Mir was invited by the Sikh Guru to lay the foundation of Golden Temple at Amritsar . Mian Mir used to say, “Karni Parvan Kya Hindu Kya Musalman? (In the path to God, there is no Hindu or Muslim)”. In 1657, Dara Shikoh got 52 Upanishads and Bhagvad Gita translated into Persian .Dara also had close bonds with the seventh Sikh Guru( Guru Har Rai ). Although in 1655 his father and Mughal emperor Shahjahan declared him the Crown Prince, Dara was assassinated on August 30, 1659 by his younger brother, Aurangzeb, in a bitter struggle for the throne. Dara Shikoh was 44 at the time of his death.
There is a fascinating story in Rajeev Kinra’s (Associate Professor in the Department of History at Northwestern University, USA ) book on Chandar Bhan Brahman titled , “Writing Self, Writing Empire: Chandar Bhan Brahman and the Cultural World of the Indo-Persian State Secretary” .Based on Chahar-Chaman of Chander Bhan Brahman, Rajeev Kinra narrates the story about princess Jahanara, Shahjahan’s eldest child, who sustained severe burn injuries after an accident in the Agra fort. The sad emperor looked in every direction for help to ensure the recovery of, arguably, his favourite child. In his eloquent and flowery prose, Chandar Bhan details Shahjahan’s concern, his vigil over his convalescing daughter and the efforts the court took to ensure the best medical care for her. Those who arrived at the fort included not just Unani medical men, but also Hakims, alchemists, herbalists ,Yogis, Vaids, Jyotishis and other practitioners of native medicine. A call had gone out across a wide region to secure the best possible help. The narrative also accentuates Chandar Bhan’s own role as a trusted official who was privy to the emperor’s emotions and feelings. Brahman’s book Chahar-Chaman is divided into four parts. The first chapter describes the celebration of festivals in the court of Shahjahan . Brahman used to recite poems in these festivals. The second chapter describes the splendour of the court, the daily business of Shahjahan , his new capital Shahjahanbad, and the major cities and suburbs of the empire .The third chapter contains life story of Chander Bhan Brahman and his letters while the fourth chapter deals with moral and religious subjects .
What distinguishes Brahman from others is that he was not only the first Diwan-e-Hindu poet of Persian but also the first Diwan-e-Shair of Urdu language. He is credited with having written the first Urdu Gazal .Chander Bhan “Brahman” , lived before Wali Deccani. Though on records, it’s Deccani who is credited with writing the first Diwan (collection) of Urdu poetry, the fact is that Wali Deccani was born in 1669, six years after the Chander Bhan’s death.
Avtar Mota is a bloger and writes for local and national papers and magazines
