Alexander Visits the Sage Plato, from Khamsa-e-Nizami by Amir Khusro

Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn al-Dīn Khusrow (Persian: ابوالحسن یمین‌الدین خسرو, Devanagari: अबुल हसन यमीनुद्दीन ख़ुसरो) (1253-1325 CE), better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī (Urdu: امیر خسرو دہلوی), was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent. Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. A Sufi mystic and a spiritual disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya of Delhi, Amīr Khusrow was not only a notable poet but also a prolific and seminal musician. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya ( 1238 - 3 April 1325) (حضرت خواجة نظام الدّین اولیا also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin was a famous Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population He wrote poetry primarily in Persian, but also in Hindavi. Hindavi (हिन्दवी ہندوی) Hindawi, or Hindvi is the mother language of modern standard Hindi and Urdu. He has been termed as the "father of qawwali" (the devotional music of the Indian Sufis). Qawwali ( Urdu / Persian: قوٌالی; Punjabi / Multani: ਖ਼ਵ੍ਵਾਲੀ قوٌالی Brajbhasha / Hindi ^[1][2] He is also credited with enriching the Hindustani classical music by introducing Persian and Arabic elements in it, and was the originator of the khayal and tarana style of music. Hindustani Classical Music ( Hindi: हिन्दुस्तानी शास्त्रीय संगीत Urdu: ہندوستانی شاستریے سنگیت Khyal (or Khayal: Hindi: ख़्याल Urdu: خیال is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Tarana (Hindi तराना is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words and syllables (e ^[3] The invention of the Indian Tabla is also traditionally attributed to Amīr Khusrow. This article is about the Indian drum For the drum with the same name in Arabic, see Goblet drum. ^[4]

A musician and a scholar, Amīr Khusrow was as prolific in tender lyrics as in highly involved prose and could easily emulate all styles of poetry which had developed in medieval Persia, from Khāqānī's forceful qasidas to Nezāmī's khamsa. Greater Iran (in Irān-e Bozorg, or fa ایران‌زمین Irān-zamīn; the Encyclopedia Iranica uses the term Khāqāni or Khāghāni ( 1121 / 1122) &ndash 1190) (Persian خاقانی a Persian poet who was born in Shirvan, under the Qasida (also spelled qasidah) in Arabic: قصيدة, plural qasā'id, قــصــائـد; in Persian: قصیده Nizami may refer to Nizami Nezami Nizami Armenia Nizami raion, Baku Azerbaijan His contribution to the development of the ghazal, hitherto little used in India, is particularly significant. In Poetry, the ghazal ( Arabic / Persian / Urdu: غزل; Hindi: ग़ज़ल Turkish gazel) is a ^[5]

Amīr Khusrow was born in Patiali near Etah in northern India. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Etah ( Urdu: ایٹا, Hindi: एटा is a town which is also the district headquarters India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country His father, Amīr Sayf ud-Dīn Mahmūd, was a Persian officer from Balkh, in northern Afghanistan. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox ^[5][6][7] His mother was a native of India and belonged to the Rajput tribes of Uttar Pradesh. Rajput constitute one of the major Hindu Kshatriya groups from India Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश اتر پردیش pronounced, Translation: Northern Province) referred to as '''U ^[7][8]

Major life events in chronological order

1. 1253 Khusro was born in Patiali near Etah in what is today the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Etah ( Urdu: ایٹا, Hindi: एटा is a town which is also the district headquarters Uttar Pradesh (उत्तर प्रदेश اتر پردیش pronounced, Translation: Northern Province) referred to as '''U His father Amir Saifuddin came from Balkh in modern day Afghanistan and his mother hailed from Delhi. Balkh ( - Balḫ) also known as Bactra, was once a major world city but was destroyed entirely by the Mongols. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population
2. 1260 After the death of his father, Khusro went to Delhi with his mother. Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population
3. 1271 Khusro compiled his first divan of poetry, "Tuhfatus-Sighr". Diwan ( Persian دیوان also transliterated as Deewan or Divan, is a Persian word used also into Arabic (الدیوان and Turkish
4. 1272 Khusro got his first job as court poet with King Balban's nephew Malik Chhajju. Ghiyas ud din Balban (1200 &ndash 1286 ( غیاث الدین بلبن) was a Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate during the Mamluk dynasty (or
5. 1276 Khusro started working as a poet with Bughra Khan (Balban's son).
6. 1279 While writing his second divan, Wastul-Hayat, Khusrau visited Bengal. Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang
7. 1281 Employed by Sultan Mohammad (Balban's second son) and went to Multan with him. ( Urdu:, Punjabi ملتان، ਮੁਲਤਾਨ is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District
8. 1285 Khusro participated as a soldier in the war against the invading Mongols. He was taken prisoner, but escaped.
9. 1287 Khusro went to Awadh with Ameer Ali Hatim (another patron). For the Oudh tree see Agarwood. Awadh ( Hindi: अवध Urdu: اودھ) also known in various British historical texts as Oudh
10. 1288 His first mathnavi, "Qiranus-Sa'dain" was completed.
11. 1290 When Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji came to power, Khusro's second mathnavi, "Miftahul Futooh" was ready. Jalal-ud-din Firuz Khilji ( Persian: جلال الدین فیروز خلجی) d
12. 1294 His third divan "Ghurratul-Kamal" was complete.
13. 1295 Ala ud din Khilji (sometimes spelled "Khalji") came to power and invaded Devagiri and Gujarat. Ala-ud-din Khilji ( Pashto / Arabic: علاء الدين الخلجي) (real name Juna Khan) (b Khilji or Khalji ( Pashto: خلجی خاندان, Hindi: ख़िलजी ख़ानदान was an Indian ruling dynasty that was Fort of Devagiri The area of the city includes the hill-fortress of Devagiri ( Marathi देवगिरी (sometimes Latinised to Deogiri Gujarat (ગુજરાત Gujǎrāt, pronounced) is a state in western India.
14. 1298 Khusro completed his "Khamsa-e-Nizami".
15. 1301 Khilji attacked Ranthambhor, Chittor, Malwa and other places, and Khusro remained with the king in order to write chronicles. Ranthambore Fort is a formidable fort and has been a focal point of historical developments of Rajasthan. WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chittorgarh (also Chittor, Chittaur, or Chittaurgarh) is an ancient town in
16. 1310 Khusro became close to Nizamuddin Auliya, and completed Khazain-ul-Futuh. Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya ( 1238 - 3 April 1325) (حضرت خواجة نظام الدّین اولیا also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin was a famous
17. 1315 Alauddin Khilji died. Ala-ud-din Khilji ( Pashto / Arabic: علاء الدين الخلجي) (real name Juna Khan) (b Khusro completed the mathnavi "Duval Rani-Khizr Khan" (a romantic poem).
18. 1316 Qutb ud din Mubarak Shah became the king, and the fourth historical mathnavi "Noh-Sepehr" was completed. Qutb-ud-din Mubarak Shah (died 1320 was the third and last ruler of the Khilji dynasty in India.
19. 1321 Mubarak Khilji (sometimes spelled "Mubarak Khalji") was murdered and Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq came to power. Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq (غیاث الدین تغلق (real name Ghazi Malik; died in 1325 founder and first ruler (1320&ndash25 of the Turkish Muslim Khusro started to write the Tughluqnama.
20. 1325 Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq came to power. Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings Muhammad bin Tughluq (محمد بن تغلق (c1300&ndash 1351 also Prince Juna Khan was the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351 Nizamuddin Auliya died, and six months later so did Khusro. Khusro's tomb is next to that of his master in the Nizamuddin Dargah of Delhi. For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. Nizamuddin Dargah is the Mausoleum of Delhi 's most famous Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. Delhi (दिल्ली ਦਿੱਲੀ دلی d̪ɪlːiː sometimes referred to as Dilli) is the second largest metropolis of India, with a population

Khusro the Royal poet

Khusro was a prolific classical poet associated with the royal courts of more than eleven rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. The Delhi Sultanate ( Urdu: دلی سلطنت, दिल्ली सलतनत or Sultanat e Hind ( سلطنتِ هند; सलतनत ए He is popular in much of North India and Pakistan, because of many playful riddles, songs and legends attributed to him. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Through his enormous literary output and the legendary folk personality, Khusro represents one of the first (recorded) Indian personages with a true multi-cultural or pluralistic identity. he khown as tut-e-hind means parote of india

He wrote in both Persian and Hindustani. Hindustani ( Hindi: हिन्दुस्तानी is an adjectival form of Hindustan which originally meant people from the whole geographical region of He also spoke Arabic and Sanskrit. ^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} His poetry is still sung today at Sufi shrines throughout Pakistan and India. Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

Amir Khusro was the author of a Khamsa which emulated that of the earlier Persian-language poet Nizami Ganjavi. The Hamsa (خمسة Khamsa, literally "five" חמסה Khamsa) is a symbol used in Amulets Charms and Jewelry to protect Nizami may refer to Nizami Nezami Nizami Armenia Nizami raion, Baku Azerbaijan His work was considered to be one of the great classics of Persian poetry during the Timurid period in Transoxiana. Transoxiana (sometimes spelled Transoxania "河中“Chinese / Ma Wara'un-Nahr ( Arabic: ما وراء النهر / Farārood (فرارود

Amir Khusro and the origins of the Sitar and the Tabla

Amir Khusro is credited with fashioning the tabla as a split version of the traditional Indian drum, the pakhawaj. This article is about the Indian drum For the drum with the same name in Arabic, see Goblet drum. The Pakhavaj, also called Mardal, Pakhawaj, Pakuaj, Pakhvaj or Mardala, is an ancient Indian barrel shaped percussion instrument

Popular lore also credits him with inventing the sitar, the Indian grand lute, but it is more likely that the Amir Khusro associated with the sitar lived in the 18th century (he is said to be a descendant of the son-in-law of Tansen, the celebrated classical singer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar). The sitar ( Hindi: सितार Urdu: ستار Persian: سی تار) is a Plucked stringed instrument. Tansen or Miyan Tansen or Ramtanu Pandey (1493 or 1506 &ndash 1586 or 1589 is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music An emperor (from the Latin " Imperator " is a (male Monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an Empire or another type of Akbar redirects here For other uses see Akbar (disambiguation Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ( Jalāl ud-Dīn Muhammad Akbar Even this 18th century Amir Khusro probably made significant contributions to the sitar, but did not invent it. See Origin Of Sitar and About Sitars.

Some samples of Khusro's poetry

Persian couplets

اگر فردوس بر روی زمین است
همین است و همین است و همین است

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast,
Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast.

If there is any paradise on the face of the earth,
It is this, it is this, it is this

Persian poems

کافر عشقم، مسلمانی مرا در کار نیست
هر رگ من تار گشته، حاجت زُنار نیست
از سر بالین من برخیز ای نادان طبیب
دردمند عشق را دارو به جز دیدار نیست
ناخدا بر کشتی ما گر نباشد، گو مباش!
ما خدا داریم ما ناخدا در کار نیست
خلق می‌گوید که خسرو بت‌پرستی می‌کند
آری! آری! می‌کنم! با خلق ما را کار نیست

Kafir-e-ishqam musalmani mara darkaar neest
Har rag-e mun taar gashta hajat-e zunnaar neest;
Az sar-e baaleen-e mun bar khez ay naadaan tabeeb
Dard mand-e ishq ra daroo bajuz deedaar neest;
Nakhuda dar kashti-e maa gar nabashad goo mubaash
Ma khuda daareem mara nakhuda dar kaar neest;
Khalq migoyad, ki Khusrau butparasti mikunad
Aare-aare mikunam, ba khalq mara kaar neest.

I am a pagan (worshiper) of love: the creed (of Muslims) I do not need;
Every vein of mine has become (taut like a) wire; the (Hindu) girdle I do not need.
Leave from my bedside, you ignorant physician!
The only cure for the patient of love is the sight of his beloved –
other than this no medicine does he need.
If there be no pilot on our ship, let there be none:
We have God in our midst: the pilot we do not need.
The people of the world say that Khusrau worships idols.
So I do, so I do; the people I do not need,
the world I do not need.

Hindavi couplets

ख़ुसरो दरिया प्रेम का, उलटी वा की धार,
जो उतरा सो डूब गया, जो डूबा सो पार.

Khusro dariya prem ka, ulṭī vā kī dhār,
Jo utrā so ḍūb gayā, jo ḍūbā so pār.

Khusro! the river of love has a reverse flow
He who enters will drown, he who drowns will get across.

सेज वो सूनी देख के रोवुँ मैं दिन रैन,
पिया पिया मैं करत हूँ पहरों, पल भर सुख ना चैन.
Sej vo sūnī dekh ke rovun main din rain,
Piyā piyā main karat hūn pahron, pal bhar sukh nā chain.

Seeing the empty bed I cry night and day
Calling for my beloved all day, not a moment's happiness or rest.

Hindavi poems

छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
प्रेम भटी का मदवा पिलाइके
मतवारी कर लीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
गोरी गोरी बईयाँ, हरी हरी चूड़ियाँ
बईयाँ पकड़ धर लीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
बल बल जाऊं मैं तोरे रंग रजवा
अपनी सी रंग दीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
खुसरो निजाम के बल बल जाए
मोहे सुहागन कीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके

Chhāp tilak sab chīnī re mose nainā milāike
Bāt atham keh dīnī re mose nainā milāike
Prem bhaṭī kā madvā pilāike
Matvālī kar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Gorī gorī baīyān, harī harī chuṛiyān
baīyān pakaṛ dhar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Bal bal jāūn main tore rang rajvā
Apnī sī kar līnhī re mose nainā milāike
Khusro Nijām ke bal bal jaiye
Mohe suhāgan kīnhī re mose nainā milāike
Bāt atham keh dīnī re mose nainā milāike

You've taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.
By making me drink the wine from the distillery of love
You've intoxicated me by just a glance;
My fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them,
Have been held tightly by you with just a glance.
I give my life to you, Oh my cloth-dyer,
You've dyed me in yourself, by just a glance.
I give my whole life to you Oh, Nijam,
You've made me your bride, by just a glance. Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya ( 1238 - 3 April 1325) (حضرت خواجة نظام الدّین اولیا also known as Hazrat Nizamuddin was a famous

Hindavi riddles

1. Nar naari kehlaati hai,
aur bin warsha jal jati hai;
Purkh say aaway purkh mein jaai,
na di kisi nay boojh bataai.

Is known by both masculine and feminine names,
And lightens up (or burns up) without rain;
Originates from a man and goes into a man,
But no one has been able to guess what it is.

2. Pawan chalat weh dehe badhavay
Jal peevat weh jeev ganvavay
Hai weh piyari sundar naar,
Naar nahin par hai weh naar.

With the blow of wind she flares up,
And dies as soon as she drinks water;
Even though she is a pretty woman,
She’s not a woman, though she’s feminine.

Answers

1. Nadi (Stream) 2. Aag (Fire)

Unique Multi-lingual Poem

Zeehaal-e miskeen makun taghaful,
duraye naina banaye batiyan;
ki taab-e hijran nadaram ay jaan,
na leho kaahe lagaye chhatiyan.

Shaban-e hijran daraz chun zulf
wa roz-e waslat cho umr kotah;
Sakhi piya ko jo main na dekhun
to kaise kaatun andheri ratiyan.

Yakayak az dil do chashm-e jadoo
basad farebam baburd taskin;
Kise pari hai jo jaa sunaave
piyare pi ko hamaari batiyan.

Cho shama sozan cho zarra hairan
hamesha giryan be ishq aan meh;
Na neend naina na ang chaina
Na aap aaven na bhejen patiyan.

Bahaqq-e roz-e wisal-e dilbar
ki daad mara ghareeb Khusrau;
Sapet man ke waraaye raakhun
jo jaaye paaon piya ke khatiyan.

NOTES

The phrase "Zeehaal-e-miskeen" comes from a poem of Amir Khusrau. The unique thing about this poem is that it is a macaronic, written in Persian and Brij Bhasha. Macaronic refers to text spoken or written using a mixture of Languages sometimes including Bilingual puns particularly when the languages are used in the same context Brij Bhasha (ब्रज भाषा also called Braj Bhasha, Braj Bhakha, or Daihaati Zabaan (country tongue is a Central Indian language In the first verse, the first line is in Persian, the second in Brij Bhasha, the third in Persian again, and the fourth in Brij Bhasha. In the remaining verses, the first two lines are in Persian, the last two in Brij Bhasha. The poem showcases Amir Khusrau's mastery over both languages. The English translation is:

Do not overlook my misery by blandishing your eyes,
and weaving tales; My patience has over-brimmed,
O sweetheart, why do you not take me to your bosom.
Long like curls in the night of separation,
short like life on the day of our union;
My dear, how will I pass the dark dungeon night
without your face before.
Suddenly, using a thousand tricks, the enchanting eyes robbed me
of my tranquil mind;
Who would care to go and report this matter to my darling?
Tossed and bewildered, like a flickering candle,
I roam about in the fire of love;
Sleepless eyes, restless body,
neither comes she, nor any message.
In honour of the day I meet my beloved
who has lured me so long, O Khusrau;
I shall keep my heart suppressed,
if ever I get a chance to get to her trick.

Works

• Tuhfa-tus-Sighr (Offering of a Minor) his first divan, contains poems composed between the age of 16 and 19
• Wastul-Hayat (The Middle of Life) his second divan, contains poems composed at the peak of his poetic career
• Ghurratul-Kamaal (The Prime of Perfection) poems composed between the age of 34 and 43
• Baqia-Naqia (The Rest/The Miscellany) compiled at the age of 64

• Qissa Chahar Darvesh The Tale of the Four Dervishes
• Nihayatul-Kamaal (The Height of Wonders) compiled probably a few weeks before his death. The Tale of the Four Dervishes is a collection of allegorical stories by Amir Khusro in the late 13th century
• Qiran-us-Sa’dain (Meeting of the Two Auspicious Stars) Mathnavi about the historic meeting of Bughra Khan and his son Kyqbad after long enmity
• Miftah-ul-Futooh (Key to the Victories) in praise of the victories of Jalauddin Khalaji
• Ishqia/Mathnavi Duval Rani-Khizr Khan (Romance of Duval Rani and Khizr Khan) a tragic love poem about Gujarat’s princess Duval and Alauddin’s son Khizr.
• Noh Sepehr Mathnavi. (Mathnavi of the Nine Skies) Khusrau’s perceptions of India and its culture
• Tughlaq Nama (Book of the Tughlaqs) in prose
• Khamsa-e-Nizami (Khamsa-e-Khusrau) five classical romances: Hasht-Bahisht, Matlaul-Anwar, Sheerin-Khusrau, Majnun-Laila and Aaina-Sikandari
• Ejaaz-e-Khusrovi (The Miracles of Khusrau) an assortment of prose compiled by himself
• Khazain-ul-Futooh (The Treasures of Victories) one of his more controversial books, in prose
• Afzal-ul-Fawaid utterances of Nizamuddin Auliya
• Ḳhāliq Bārī a versified glossary of Persian, Arabic, and Hindawi words and phrases attributed to Amir Khusrau, but most probably written in 1622 in Gwalior by Ẓiyā ud-Dīn Ḳhusrau
• Jawahar-e- Khusrovi often dubbed as the Hindawi divan of Khusrau
• Laila Majnu
• Ayina-i-Sikandari
• Mulla-ul-Anwar
• Shrin-wa-Khusrau

References used

• E. The Hasht-Bihisht (lit Eight Paradises commonly refers to a Azali Apologetic text which is particularly critical of the Bahá'í Faith - a religion that G. Browne. Literary History of Persia. (Four volumes, 2,256 pages, and twenty-five years in the writing). 1998. ISBN 0-7007-0406-X
• Jan Rypka, History of Iranian Literature. Reidel Publishing Company. ASIN B-000-6BXVT-K
• Shīrānī, Ḥāfiż Mahmūd. “Dībācha-ye duvum [Second Preface]. ” In Ḥifż ’al-Lisān (a. k. a. Ḳhāliq Bārī), edited by Ḥāfiż Mahmūd Shīrānī. Delhi: Anjumman-e Taraqqi-e Urdū, 1944.

Bibliography

External links

• Amir Khusro Website
• Amir Khusro at Kavita Kosh

See also

• Urdu poetry
• List of Urdu poets
• List of Persian poets and authors
• Indian literature