Perso Indica

[Preliminary Entry] This Majmū‘a is a collection of treatises on various issues such as history, siyāq (accounting), poetry and mythology. At the beginning of the manuscript, the complete name of the Majmū‘a is given as: Majmūʻa-yi čand rasā’il muštamil bar tāriḫ wa ḥisāb-i Hinduwān wa ašʻār-i asātiḏa or “A collection of some treatises on the history and accounting of Hindus and the poems of poets.” The title shows that at least the two treatises on history and siyāq, contain material related to Hindus. The treatise on history, written in prose and poetry, deals with both Hindu rajas and Muslim kings. It records the names of the rajas, sultans and emperors of India, the dates and duration of their reign, and the date of their death.

The treatise on siyāq is the longest treatise written in prose and includes different kinds of dealing, like property transactions in an Indian environment manifesting the Indian financial culture and system of the time. A considerable amount of Indian words is used in this section. The record on siyāq, however, is interrupted by two unrelated parts: the first about sexual faculty (quwwat-ibāh), proposing different medicines for sexual problems and infertility, the second about medical treatment in general. After these two chapters the record on siyāq is resumed and followed by accounting material in an Indian language. The treatise on poetry contains not only poetry but also prose in both Persian and Indian languages. Moreover, it includes Indian mythology consisting of a considerable amount of Hindu names and characters such as Mahādeva.

S. Kh.