Who was Dara Shikoh and why should we know about him?

I have a copy of Max Muller’s Upniashads and in its introductory essay, I found something, which, for me was a surprising discovery. Max Muller writes thus -

The Upanishads were translated from Sanskrit into Persian by, or, it may be, for Dârâ Shukoh, the eldest son of Shâh Jehân, an enlightened prince, who openly professed the liberal religious tenets of the great Emperor Akbar, and even wrote a book intended to reconcile the religious doctrines of Hindus and Mohammedans. He seems first to have heard of the Upanishads during his stay in Kashmir in 1640. He afterward invited several Pandits from Benares to Delhi, who were to assist him in the work of translation. The translation was finished in 1657. Three years after the accomplishment of this work, in 1659, the prince was put to death by his brother Aurangzeb 1, in reality, no doubt, because he was the eldest son and legitimate successor of Shâh Jehân, but under the pretext that he was an infidel, and dangerous to the established religion of the empire.

When the Upanishads had once been translated from Sanskrit into Persian, at that time the most widely read language of the East and understood likewise by many European scholars, they became generally accessible to all who took an interest in the religious literature of India. It is true that under Akbar's reign (1556-1586) similar translations had been prepared. but neither those nor the translations of Dârâ Shukoh attracted the attention of European scholars till the year 1775.

Max Muller is speaking here about Dara Shukoh’s book titled Sirr-i-Akbar, which in Persian, means "Great Secret," It is a significant philosophical work that he completed in 1659 CE, just before the war of succession broke out among the Mughal Princes, sons of Shah Jahan. The book is an example of Dara Shukoh's profound interest in the study of spirituality, the comparative study of philosophy, and his intense quest for ultimate truth.

The book Sirr-i-Akbar focuses on those aspects from the Upanishads that highlight the commonalities and underlying unity between Islam and Hinduism. Dara Shukoh discovered in his studies that at the core of these two religions, there was a common divine essence, despite their external differences. He even openly believed that Kitab al-Maknun, or "Hidden Book", mentioned in the Qur'an was none other than the Upanishads

…that this is truly a noble Quran, in a well-preserved Record, touched by none except the purified ˹angels˺. ˹It is˺ a revelation from the Lord of all worlds… - Qur’an 56.77-80

Thus Dara equated the status of the Upanishads to that of the Qur’an itself!

But it is even more astounding to know that Dara was a Mughal Prince, that too the elder brother of Aurangzeb, who is often considered the most Orthodox intolerant Muslim ruler among the Mughals. His book happened to be the harbinger of ancient Indian Philosophical wealth contained in the Upanishads in the West, attracting its curiosity and admiration.

Sirr-i-Akbar was only one of many books authored by Dara Shukoh. His other book, Majm-ul-Bahrain, written also around the same time discusses the Mystical practices, terminologies, and concepts common in Islam, especially Sufism, and the Vedanta Philosophy. It is unfortunate that soon after the completion of these books, Dara’s Spiritual and Scholarly pursuits hit a dead end, as the wars of succession that followed right after ended up with him getting executed some years later.

So who was Dara Shukoh? Unfortunately, his legacy is overshadowed by the rules of Shah Jahan & Aurangzeb - two of the most powerful Mughal Emperors. It is important to look at this part of the History with Dara Shukoh, his studies & his works as the central theme to know more about this exceptional figure. In recent years, a Pakistani play named ‘Dara’ has received praise from all around the world. A book by Avik Chanda’s Dara Shukoh: The Man Who Would Be King builds a story around Dara’s life without compromising on Historical authenticity. A more Historically oriented approach is seen in Supriya Gandhi’s book Emperor Who Never Was - Dara Shukoh in Mughal India. All these works have been composed very recently and At Glimpses, we too are making an animation series that takes us through the story of Dara Shukoh, along with that of Aurangzeb in our upcoming series.