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Sarmad,سرمد, whose name derives from Persian word for eternal(Sar+Amad)or everlasting, was a Persian mystic, poet and saint in India of Jewish[1] and Armenian origin[2] during the 17th century. He arrived in India from a Jewish, Persian-speaking Armenian merchant family,[3] only to renounce his religion and adopt Islam, which he allegedly later renounced in favor of Hinduism, which he is also supposed to have renounced. Sarmad was known for espousing and ridiculing the major religions of his day, but also wrote beautiful religious poetry in the form of rubaiyats, or quatrains. He is known to have wandered the streets and the courts of the emperor completely naked, and to have fallen in love with a 14 year old Hindu boy. He was close to Dara Shikoh, the heir, the heir presumptive to Emperor Shahjahan. During his life he produced a translation of the Torah in Persian[4]. Finally, he was beheaded in 1661 by the Emperor Aurangzeb for his perceived heretical poetry. Sarmad's ambiguous religious affiliation is disputed today by Jews, Muslims and Hindus. His grave is located near the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India.
[edit] Colonial India Reference
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, one of the leading political personalities involved actively in India's struggle for freedom, had equated himself with Sarmad in an essay which he had written at the age of 23. He had identified himself with Sarmad for his freedom of thought and expression.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- Gupta, M.G. Sarmad the Saint: Life and Works, Revised Edition. MG Publishers, 2000. ISBN 81-85532-32-X.
- Ezekial, Isaac A. Sarmad: (Jewish Saint of India). 2nd ed. Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1974. ASIN B0006EXYM6.
[edit] External resources
