Conference on Amir Khusrao

8/4/2019 Conference on Amir Khusrao

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FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

ON

AMEER KHUSROS IMPACT ON LITERATURE AND CULTURE

HELD AT CHICAGO (U.S.A)

DURING

MAY 29th JUNE 2nd 1987

*****

AMEER KHUSROS INVENTION OF ASTROLOGICAL POETRY

BY

SAIYID SAMAD HUSAIN RIZVI

A-11/9, FEDERAL B AREA, KARACHI 38

(PAKISTAN) Tele : (92-21) 679430

(Representative of Aligarh Muslim University)

(Old Boys Association of Pakistan, Karachi.)

***

Scanning the horizon of Indo- Pakistan sub-continent of figureshave moved across the cultural stage of the sub-continent during the

thir teenth and fourteenth centuries with more spectacular flourish

and a greater aplomb than Ameer Yameen-uddin Khusri, popularly

known as Ameer Khusro. Recognized, respected and love by the Kings

and the common man alike, Khusros dynamic personality dominated

the entire political, cultural and literary panorama of his times for

more than half a century. His kaleidoscopic personality had many


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facets, each more bril liant than the other a great scholar, an eminent

poet, a shrewd statesman holding many ambassadorial assignments at

various royal courts and a master of music who not only invented

many new ragas, but also introduced new musical instruments.

As regards Khuros poetry it is multi- dimensional in character. He

composed lyrical poetry nurtured in the rich classical traditions, wrote

historical poetry which beautifully records the significant events

during the reigns of his royal patrons. The lovable personality religious

poetry. All these aspects of his poetry have been duly applauded and

appreciated by the crit ics and the lovers of poetry alike. But strangely

enough one significant part of Khusros poetry has been completely by-

passed- I mean his poetry with a strong astrological bias. A master of

the science of astrology, Ameer Khusro has very artist ically introduced

into his poetry, especially in the Mathnavis, astrological principles,

terms, allusions, beliefs, traditions and even horoscopes. This

combination of astrology and poetry has given a new breadth, depth

and poignancy to his poetic compositions. Specially, the casting of

complete Horoscopes and description of their astrological

interpretations and corresponding predictions, is the original creation

of Ameer Khurso himself. This type of special poetry can be termed as

Astrological Poetry, and Ameer Khusro can right ly be said to be its

Inventor, because no Persian poet prior to Ameer Khusro had everdescribed complete Horoscopes in his poetry.

It is my proud privilege today to high-light this much neglected aspect

of Khuros poetry before this gathering of Khusro Scholars at Chicago.

In my opinion, this aspect of Ameer Khuros poetry is much more

important than other aspects, but unfortunately, during the last seven

centuries no scholar could write even a single article on Ameer Khuros


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Astrological Poetry, probably owing to the lack of knowledge of

Astrology to the required level. I t will be admitted that no study has

no be left untouched from any corner, however remote it may be.

Generally speaking, Ameer Khuros poetry, in which he has used

Astrological substance, can be divided into the following three

categories :-

Category 1. - Poetry in which complete horoscopes have been

used to interpret or predict good or bad influences of a birth or an

event, in a figurative and attractive manner; i t can be termed simplyas Astrological Poetry

Category 2. - Poetry in which descriptions of planets, stars,

signs of zodiac, lunar mansions, constellations etc have been used to

increase the attract iveness of a scene or a function; it can be termed as

Poetry with Astrological descriptions and personifications.

Category 3. - Poetry in which Astrological terms and symbolisms

etc. have been used as figures of speech. It can be termed as Poetry

with Astrological f igures of speech.

Although in the Poetry of Categories, 2 and 3 Ameer Khusro had

created and absolutely new style of his own, yet there were few other

Persian Poets too who had composed categories 1 and 2 type of poetry,

to some extent, earlier to Ameer Khusro. For example about 300 years

prior to Ameer Khusro, Firdausi in his Shahnamah had given many

couplets relating to various Astrological references; about 150 years

prior to Ameer Khusro, Anwari also in his Qasidahs had composed

beautiful accounts of Planetary and Stellar relationships; and about 50

years prior to Ameer Khusro, Maulana Rumi also in his famous

detailed manner. Even later than Ameer Khuros many Persian poets


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have said some thing about the poetry of categories 2 and 3. Ameer

Khusro may not be said to be the originator of these two categories,

but the poetry of category 1, which can rightly be termed an

Astrological Poetry, is the exclusive invention of Ameer Khusro. No

other poet had ever produced such illustrious Astrological Poetry

earlier to Ameer Khusro. Even after Ameer Khusro no poet has

produced this type of Astrological Poetry, except Mirza Asadullah

Khan Ghalib of Dehli who, after about 550 years of Ameer Khusro,

adopted this art of Astrological Poetry in a marvelous manner

surpassing even Ameer Khurso at places. In this paper I willparticularly discuss the Astrological Poetry invented by Ameer

Khusro, failing in Category 1.

After going through the Astrological Poetry of Ameer Khusro, It will be

evident and clear that Ameer Khurso had a through knowledge of

Astrology and he had used this knowledge for the beautification of his

poetry and for casting horoscopes in the poetical language. Ameer

Khusro was a religious person, and at the same time he was an

Astrologer too, so it can be concluded that the study of Astrology is not

against the religion, provided that we also study the l imitat ions of this

science.

The Astrological predictions can be compared to the Medical diagnosis,

and the Astrological remedial measures can be compared with the

Medical prescriptions. Both of these Sciences are based on

observations and experiments, and are useful for mankind at large. It

is a pity that most of the modern scholars have forsaken this Science

and thus have provided a golden opportunity to the impostors to start

their fraudulent business in the sacred name of Astrology. When a

doctor or tabeeb can write his prescription by writing at the top


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(God gives cure), the why cant an Astrologer write his

prediction after writing on the top (i.e.

God knows hidden things). In short, even if one does not believe in

Astrology, one should study it in depth to understand and appreciate

the Astrological poetry of Ameer Khurso, which has now become a part

of literature. One cannot comprehend fully the poetry of Ameer Khusro

without understanding his Astrological Poetry which covers a very

large portion of his works.

I have given here some selected couplets and their translations with

annotations to illustrate the true art of the Astrological Poetry of

Ameer Khusro, and for the sake of brevity, I have limited myself to

nine horoscopes only as described in the following five Mathnavis of

Ameer Khusro.

i. Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain, published by Institute Press

Aligarh, in the year 1918 A.D, 1337 A.H.

ii. Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr, published by Baptist Mission Press

Calcutta, in the year 1918 A.D., 1337 A.H.

iii. Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan published by Institute Press

Aligarh in the year 1948 A.D., 1368 A.H.

iv. Mathnavi Tughlaq Namah, published by Maktba-i-Urdu,

Aurangabad, Deccan, in the year 1933 A.D. 1352 A.H.

v. Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh, published by Aligarh Muslim

University, in the year 1954 A.D., 1374 A.H.

In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (page 167, 168), Ameer Khusro

has described the positions of the planets at the time of the meeting

of King Kaiqubad with his father Bughra Khan near Lukhnowati,


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without mentioning the year, date, day and time of that occasion. In

other words Ameer Khusro has enunciated the horoscope of that

moment. With the help of this horoscope I have been able to

calculate the exact time, day, date, and the year of the moment.

This may be news for the historians who were unable to find out

this information from any other source during the last seven

hundred years. The exact time of the meeting was selected and

predetermined Astrologically by Ameer Khusro himself as he

describes in the following couplets:-


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Qualit ies of the planetary positions, ascendant, ant that auspicious

time when two benefices were together in one sign of zodiac. Venus

and Jupiter had tied together their plaited hair and Taurus was

dignified due to the conjunction of two benefices. Moon and

Descending Node were together at one spot, fallen from the back of

Aries, as if the Moon was covered with a blanket. Gemini was

lighted from the two faces, and they eyes of the planets were away

from its door. The king of the stars (i.e. the Sun) was seated on a

chair in Cancer (also in the fifth house). Mercury was occupying

place in Leo as if it was an arrow shot by the king in the heart of

the lion. As the lion and broken the back of Mercury, Virgo tied her

waist in mourning, (because Mercury is the lord of Virgo).


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Ascending Node and Mars were holding Libra in their hands and

both of them were equal in gravity. The stingy Scorpio proved to be

heart-some and went away from its own planet (i.e. Mars). Jupiter

was unaware of its own house (i.e. Sagittarius or Pisces;)

Sagittarius was empty and Mercury was in another place.

Capricorn (i.e. the goat), which was under the shepherd ship of

Saturn, was left alone unguarded at night, and so it went down into

the water like leather-bag of water carrier (i.e. Aquarius) so that

water could be fetched. Saturn had made its place in the heart of

Pisces and it was strange that the fishes had entrapped it.

From the above mentioned planetary configuration at Lukhnowati,

I have calculated the correct time and degrees of the planets as

follows. It was about 222t hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone

0530 Hours East), on Wednesday, 23 June, 1288 A.D. (O.S), 21

Jamadi I, 687 A.H., (Julian day No. 2191674.20486). According to

my calculation the Ascendant was in Pisces, Sun was in Cancer at

9deg., Moon was in Aries at 25deg., Mercury was in Leo at 6deg.,

Venus was in Taurus at 26deg., Mars was in Libra at 12deg.,

Jupiter was in Taurus at 14deg., Saturn was in Pisces at 14deg.

(retrograde), Ascending Node was in Libra at 26deg., and

Descending Node was in Aries at 26deg. The complete Horoscope as

indicated by Ameer Khusro in the above mentioned couplets isgiven here as Horoscope No.1.

Note :- Virgo is picturised as virgin with her waist tied with a belt of

cloth and holding barns of wheat in her hand. The word Teer means

Mercury as well as arrow, and Ameer Khusro has played pun on

this word.


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In his Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 49 to 52), Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary positions on the occasion of coronation of

King Qutubuddin Mubarakshah at Dehli. The exact time of

coronation was selected and predetermined Astrologically by Ameer

Khusro himself as he describes in the following couplets:-


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Description of the coronation of that fortunate personality who

brightened the whole world by means of the light of his mercy and

kindness. At that time the Ascending was Leo, the deer hunter, who

had developed friendship with the lion at the door of the king. When

the king seated himself on the lion-footed throne, Jupiter being

intoxicated with ecstasy, caught hold of the tail of the lion in order

to twist it towards his back for the sake of the king. Virgo kept her

granary empty so that she could fill it up by picking pearl grains

from the ceremonial function of the king. Descending Node was

balancing the light in Libra. So that it may pour the treasures over

the king like the showers of pearls. As the arrow of the king had

pierced the sting of Scorpio, it had expelled all the magicians from

the court of the king. Sagittarius also had not allowed anyone to

take its possession, because this bow was only meant for the holding

of the king. To Capricorn also nothing was given except mercy.

Saturn had given a long rope to Aquarius so that it may provide

water for the high-ways of the king. Moon was sitting with Pisces,

so that the proclamations of the king could be spread from the

heights of the heavens to the bottoms of the seas. Ascending Nodehad gone upto Aries so that the king may achieve more and more


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beneficence. The tenth house, which is the house of kingdom and in

which Taurus was present, had been occupied by three beneficent

planets-firstly Sun who was producing much l ight from the height

of the heaven, secondly Venus who was singing happily in her

home, and thirdly Mercury who was making the king more

fortunate and was also piercing the hearts of this enemies. With

Gemini also no planet could tie up waist, because the belt of Gemini

was reserved only for this king. In Cancer also no planets were

present, because, Cancer being the house of Moon was meant only

for the stay of the king. Such was the auspicious day and the happymoment when the Calif was crowed on a very elevated throne.

From the above mentioned planetary configuration at Dehli I have

calculated the correct time and degrees of the plants as follows. It

was about 1220 Hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 05.30 Hours

East), on Sunday, 18 April, 1316 A.D. (O.S), 24 Muharram 716 A.H.

(Julian day No. 2201834.82639). According to my calculations the

Ascending was in Leo Sun was in Taurus at 6deg. Moon was in

Pisces at 5deg., Mercury was in Aries at 28deg., Venus was in

Taurus at 17deg., Mars was in Lego at 8deg., Jupiter was in Leo at

29deg., Saturn was in Aquarius at 25deg., Ascending Node was in

Aries at 28deg., and Descending Node was in Libra at 28deg. The

complete Horoscope as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the abovementioned couplets is given here as Horoscope No.2.

Note:- Its should be noted that Qutubuddin Mubarakshah had

started calling himself as Khalifa, that is why Ameer Khusro also

has used this word for the king. It is also to be pointed out that

according to my calculations the position of Mercury comes in Aries

at 28deg., but Ameer Khusro has shown it in Taurus. The difference


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is of only 2 degrees which may be due to different formulas used by

me and by Ameer Khusro. However, I have retained the same

position as mentioned by Ameer Khusro. Actually the calculations

of Mercury are considered to be very tedious, because Mercury

becomes retrograde thr ice a year while other four planets become

retrograde only once a year. Therefore the actual position of

Mercury becomes controversial sometimes, as is seen in this

particular case.

It should be kept in mind that, although Ameer Khusro has

predicted good or bad influences of various horoscopes, he believes

that such astrological influences remain changing constantly as per

the good or bad deeds of the individuals, blessings or curses of

people, prayers or efforts of persons, Mercy of Anger of God etc.

Although the stars and planets can foretell the possibili ties or hopes

of the coming events for an individual person to some extent, yet

the ul timate shape of the coming events or his final destiny may be

slightly or completely changed. The former is called fortune

and the latter is called fate ; so an Astrologer

can be a fortune-teller but he cannot be a fate-teller. Ameer Khusro,

in his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 279) expresses his

belief in the following couplets:-

When the sword of fate cuts hope (i.e. fortune), neither Moon nor

Sun (i.e. neither planets nor stars) would know how to put a shield

against it (i.e. when the final fate comes, astrological predictions

may become ineffective).


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In his Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 320 to 327), Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary positions on the occasion of the birth of

Prince Muhammad son of king Qutubuddin Mubarakshah at Dehli.

He says:-


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It is at the moment of the birth of Prince Muhammad that the

planets are showering their beneficence on him. The moment has

been blessed with the Ascending of Taurus, because it is the

position of exaltation for Moon during revolution. Mercury is alsoplaced in that Ascending and it has decorated Sirius like Pleiades;

it is speaking of high education and great wisdom and is predicting

tremendous learnings. Sun is in Gemini and also in the house of

Wealth, which shows that the Prince would handle huge treasures;

Gemini has tightened Sun in such a way that he has become a slave

of the Prince, and from the position of his aphelion (i.e. Gemini) he

is throwing his light towards Cancer which is the home of Moon. In

the third house Venus is present in such a grand pose as if Queen of

Sheba is sitting on her precious throne, and from her position of

sextile aspect with the ascending, she is bestowing her beneficence

and throwing her l ight; as the third house belongs to the

movements and to the powers, it shows that the Prince would

always be a conqueror in any direction he moves. No planet pays


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any heed to the lion of the heaven, because the planets consider the

newly born lion (i.e. the Prince) a greater favorite than the old lion

(i.e. Leo); as the fourth house has relation to father, the father of

the Prince will also exercise very high influences. The cunning Mars

in in Virgo, and Descending Node, although sitting with Mars as an

apparent friend, is decreasing the strength of Mars, like the snake

in the sleeve; Mars has become benefic due to Descending Node and

both together are producing good effect like Adam and Shees,

because they are aspecting the Ascendant with tr ine-aspect; as the

fifth house relates to progeny and gifts, the Prince wil l have giftedand generous sons and daughters. Jupiter is holding Libra in his

hand which indicates that the Prince will have a balanced

beneficence; as the sixth house relates to subordinates and dignity,

the Prince will achieve grandeur due to his generosity. As the

planets get afflicted in Scorpio, they have not occupied this inimical

sign; even the il l influences of Scorpio have been concealed by Moon

in the heart of the Scorpion. As the eighth house relates to fears

and dangers, the heavenly bow (i.e. Sagittarius) has become

arrowless; as Sagittarius has searched and found out the forceful

hands of the Prince, it has neither given its own possession to Moon

nor to other planets; no planet can even think of occupying

Sagittarius, because the Prince is holding the command of the

heaven also. The planets have kept themselves away from

Capricorn, because rays of light are showered from the sign of

Saturn to the body of the Prince; as the ninth house relates to faith

and wits, both of these Prince; as the ninth house relates to faith

and wits, both of these qualities have been conferred upon the

Prince. Aquarius has remained away from the nine water-drawers

(i.e. nine planets), because the filthy water of Aquarius is not


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suitable for the Prince; as the tenth house relates to hopes, it is

expected that the Prince may achieve a perpetual kingdom. In

Pisces three planets i.e. Moon, Ascending Node, and Saturn are

placed favorably which are aspecting the Ascendant with sextile

aspect; this configuration of planets has made even Saturn as

benefic as Jupiter; as the eleventh house relates to gains and

increases, the beneficial influences will be repeatedly obtained by

the Prince. Aries also is free from all the Planets, because the newly

born Sun (i.e. the Prince) is offering light to this sign (which is the

exaltation sign of Sun); as the twelfth house relates to elephantsand horses, these two ranks will always remain straight beyond

expectations. In this bright and lucky horoscope, there are all the

indications of prosperity and dignity.

From the above mentioned planetary configuration at Dehli, I have

calculated the correct time and degrees of the planets as follows. It

was about 0350 Hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 0530 Hours

East), on Thursday, 25 May, 1318 A.D. (O.S.), 23 Rabi I, 718 A.H.

(Julian day No. 2202601.43056). According to my calculations the

Ascendant was in Taurus, Sun was in Gemini at 11deg., Moon was

in Pisces at 22deg., Mercury was in Taurus at 26deg. (retrograde),

Venus was in Cancer at 25deg., Mars was in Virgo at 12deg.,

Jupiter was in Libra at 30deg., (retrograde), Saturn was in Pisces at20deg., Ascending Node was in Pisces at 18deg., and Descending

Node was in Virgo at 18deg., The complete Horoscope as indicated

by Ameer Khusro in the above mentioned couplets is given here as

Horoscope No.3.

Note :- During the interpretation of the Birth Horoscope of Prince

Muhammad, Ameer Khusro had described the relevance of all the


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twelve houses of the natal chart according to his own judgment. We

can get much guidance from this description. Ameer Khusro has also

figuratively emphasized the observational beauty of the presence of

Mercury in Taurus near Alpha Canis Majoris which is known by the

name of Sirius.

In his Mathnavi Tughlaq Namah (page 143 to 145), Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary positions on the occasion of the Coronation of

King Ghyasuddin Tughlaq at Dehli. The exact t ime of the Coronation

was selected and predetermined Astrologically by Ameer Khusro

himself as he describes in the following couplets:-

'


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Coronation of King Ghyasuddin Tughlaq, the Ghazi, whose throne is

so high as that of Afridun and Askandar. It was the auspicious day ofSaturday and the time was moon when the light of the day was at the


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maximum. If you ask about the Ascendant, it was Sagittar ius which

had illuminated the world and converted it into a paradise. The

warrior Mars was holding the bow (i.e. Sagittarius) so that he could

throw the arrow on the il l wishers, and establish a high command in

the country, and give strength to the arms of the king. Jupiter was in

Capricorn and was increasing the treasures and bringing the wealth of

the seven countries, heaps after heaps. Ascending Node was in the

third house and was fetching abundant water for the relatives and

brothers of the king. Saturn was in Aries and was aspecting the

Ascending with trine aspect with full friendship like Nooh towardsShees; as that planet is very high, the king also possesses very high

temperament. The benefic Venus, intoxicated with joy, was grabbing

the lion by means of the chain of her plaited hair and was also

aspecting the Ascendant with trine aspect from the ninth house in

order to spread fame and keep an eye on every direction. The loaf of

Sun was in the tenth house and the barn of wheat (i.e. Virgo) had

given a proper shape to it, meaning thereby that the affairs of the

kingdom would be strengthened by means of the fire of the Sun, and

also the high officials of the government would be fully under the

command so much so that they would live by the order of the king and

would die by the order of the king. Mercury also was sleeping with

pleasure in tenth house in Virgo where he was exalted, and from this

strength of exaltation, the advisory affairs were straightened l ike an

arrow for the sake of good fortune of the king. Moon was in Scorpio,

(but the t ime of Coronation was selected carefully to bring the Moon-in

Scorpio) in the twelfth house (which had an aspect of opposition with

the sixth house which belongs to the enemies and ill- wishers of the

king), inflicting injuries in the back of the enemy by the sting of the

Scorpion; the Moon had made a spear out of the sting of the Scorpion


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and was thrustingthat spear in the eyes of the i ll wishers. From this

Ascendant (and also from all the planetary positions) the world has a

hope that this brilliant Sun (i.e. King Ghyasuddin Tughlaq) would

remain shining for ever.

From the above mentioned planetary configuration at Delhi, I have

calculated the correct time and degrees of the planets as follows. It was

about 12:20 hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 0530 Hours East), 6

September, 1320 A.D. (O.S.), 1st Shaban, 720 A.H., (Julian day No.

2203436.82639). According to my calculations the Ascendant was in

Sagittarius, Sun was in Virgo at 21 deg., Moon was in Scorpio at 2

deg., Mercury was in Virgo at 9 deg., Venus was in Leo at 26 deg.,

Mars was in Sagittarius at 1 deg., Jupiter was in Capricorn at 3 deg.,

Saturn was in Aries at 16 deg. (retrograde), Ascending Node was in

Aquarius at 4 deg., and Descending Node was in Leo at 4 deg. The

complete Horoscope as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the above

mentioned couplets is given here as Horoscope No.4

Note: - At this place a very important astrological fact has been

mentioned by Ameer Khusro. As universally admitted, the short period

of about two and a half days in each month, when Moon passes

through Scorpio, is considered inauspicious for starting any good work,

especially for a marriage or for a journey. The following saying of

Imam Ja'afar Sadiq (peace be upon him) also confirms it:-

-

''/

- ' ' -


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One, who travels or marries when Moon is in Scorpio, will not see

good results. In view of the fact that it was the period of Moon-in-

Scorpio on the day of the coronation of the king, Ameer Khusro had

suggested such a time of the day that Moon-in-Scorpio occupied the

twelfth house of the horoscope. Such a time can be obtained only for

about two hours in twenty four hours. At such a time the bad effect of

Moon-in-Scorpio was directed towards the enemy instead of the king.

This is a very significant astrological principle described by Ameer

Khusro, which should be kept in mind for averting and counteracting

the bad effect of Moon-in-Scorpio, if sometimes we are compelled bycircumstances to start some good work during the period of Moon-in-

Scorpio.

In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 160-161), Ameer

Khusro has described the planetary positions on the occasion of Nikah


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(i.e. legal marriage) of prince Khazir Khan sonof King Alauddin

Khilji with the daughter of Alap Khan. The exact time of Nikah was

selected and predetermined Astrologically by Ameer Khusro himself as

he describes in the following couplets:

Moon had sought a place in Sagittarius, and had straightened her way

for the service (of the king). In Capricorn, Saturn was with Mercury as

if an Indian was at the head of the goat(i.e. Capricorn) with his bow

ready with an arrow. Descending Node was also involved with these

planets and had caught the tail of the goat like a beggar. The Heaven

had the stream of Sun in Aquarius in order to make the vegetation of


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the earth green with water. Venus had gone into Pisces as a kingfisher

would catch a fish. Jupiter had caught the ram (i.e. Aries) as if it was

an offering from the sage for the king. Mars had fallen into Taurus

from where he could scatter Pleiades (which are like pearls) over the

king. Beneficence had placed Ascending Node on the five footed throne

(i.e. Cancer).



about 02:50 Hours Indian Standard Time(at Zone 05:30 Hours East), 2

February, 1312 A.D. (O.S.), 23 Ramazan, 711 A.H., (Julian

dayNo.2200297.38889). According to my calculations the Ascendant

was in Sagittarius, Sun was in Aquarius at 20 deg., Moon was in

Sagittarius at 7 deg., Mercury was in Capricorn at24 deg., Venus was

in Pisces at 28 deg., Mars was in Taurus at 25 deg., Jupiter was in

Aries at21 deg., Saturn was in Capricorn at 6 deg., Ascending Node

was in Cancer at 20 deg., and Descending Node was in Capricorn at 20

deg. The Complete Horoscope as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the

above mentioned couplets is given above as Horoscope No. 5.


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Note: - The correct pronunciation of the name of the bride-groom, as

clarified by Ameer Khusro himself in his Mathnavi, is Khazir Khan

and not Khizar Khan as generally believed. Similarly, according to

Ameer Khusro, the correct pronunciation of the name of the bride is

Dawalrani and not Dewalrani as generally believed.

In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (Page 167-168), Ameer

Khusro has described the planetary positions on the occasion ofRukhsati (i.e. departure of the bride) of the daughter of Alap Khan

with the prince Khazir Khan son of King Alauddin Khilji. The exact

time of Rukhsati was selected and predetermined Astrologically, by

Ameer Khusro as he describes in the following couplets:


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It was on Monday morning following the night of the first date of the

lunar month (i.e.Ramazan) and the same year as previously told (i.e.

711 A.H). Beneficence (of the occasion)brought Moon in the exaltation

sign, and also there was a benefic configuration between Moon and

Venus (as if both had a relation of love). There was clown of exaltation

on the head of Sun also, and Mars was in Cancer but in lesser degrees

(i.e. Mars had just entered Cancer; it is confirmed by calculations that

Mars had moved only one degree in Cancer).Again, in Taurus, in order

to increase the beneficence, Mercury had a conjunction with Jupiter

(as if both were married). Descending Node was in Capricorn and

Saturn was also in that sign; Ascending Node was decorating the sign

of Moon (i.e. Cancer) as if it was a box of jewellery Moon and Venushad occupied the benefic signs of their exaltations (i.e. Taurus and

Pisces respectively), and about three hours of the night had passed

since Venus (i.e. since the rising of Venus in the eastern horizon,

because in those days Venus was rising daily in the east as a morning

star).


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about 07:20 Hours Indian Standard Time(at Zone 05:30 Hours East)

10 April, 1312 A.D. (O.S.), 1st Zilhhajja, 711 A.H., (Julian day

No.2200365.57639). According to my calculations the Ascendant was

in Taurus, Sun was in Aries at 28 deg., Moon was in Taurus at 24 deg.,

Mercury was in Taurus at 18 deg., Venus was in Pisces at 18 deg.,

Mars was in Cancer at 1 deg., Jupiter was in Taurus at 5 deg., Saturn

was in Capricorn at 9 deg., Ascending Node was in Cancer at 16 deg.,

Descending Node was in Capricorn at 16 deg. The complete Horoscopeas indicated by Ameer Khusro in the abovementioned couplets is given

here as Horoscope No. 6.

Note:- The word Qiran normally means a conjunction, but sometimes it

also means a special configuration other than a conjunction; here

Qiran-i-Saad means the benefic configuration between Moon and

Venus, because both of the planets were in their exaltation signs and

also there was a sextile aspect between these two benefices which

produced a specially good influence. In the days of Ameer Khusro, as

mentioned in his own Mathnavis, all important works of the royalty

were started at a predetermined time and date which were determined

Astrologically in order to obtain the best results. Accordingly the time

and date of the Rukhsati was also predetermined; it was in themorning after about 3 hours from the time of rising of Venus in the

eastern horizon. According to my calculations the rising time of Venus

was about 4 A.M. local mean time at Delhi on that date and the r ising

time of Sun was about 5:30 A.M. local mean time. Therefore the time

of Rukhsati was about 7 A.M. local mean t ime, which was about 3

hours later than the Venus-rise and about one and half hour later than

the Sun-rise. In those days Venus was a morning star and could be


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seen daily very clearly in the East. Actually the bride-groom had

arrived at the residence of the bride on the evening of Sunday, April 9,

1312 A.D. (O.S.), and the ceremonies continued for the whole night.

Ultimately the departure of bride took place at about 7 A.M. local

mean time on Monday, April 10, 1312 A.D, (O.S.). This local mean time

of departure was equivalent to about 07:20 Hours Indian Standard

Time (at Zone 05:30 hours East).

In his Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh (pages 6,7) Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary positions on the occasion of the Coronation of

King Jalal-ud-din Khilj i at Dehli. The time for the celebrations of this

important function was selected and Astrologically pre-determined by

Ameer Khusro himself as he describes in the following couplets:-


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Description of Ascension to the throne by the Emperor whose

auspicious feet bestowed dignity to the royal throne. The stream of sun


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was highly placed in Gemini, because Gemini is the Aphelion of sun;

thus the waves of light had covered the whole sky. Mercury also had

stayed in Gemini, so that there was one sign of zodiac, one stream of

light and one planet named Mercury. In such a sign of zodiac, which

was already occupied by the stream-like Sun and Mercury, the planet

Venus was also singing melodiously with a harp. Jupiter had also

stepped on the sign of zodiac named Cancer which looked like a five

footed throne. Mars had also achieved solace and grace in his own sign

named Scorpio in the same manner as s Turk achieves grandeur on

the saddle of a horse. Saturn was also seated in Aries with the samepomp and show as if the Indian king Kaid was sitting with his

contemporary king Zulqarnain (i.e. Alexander the Great). From the

very beginning of the lunar month the Ascending Node had shown a

Descending Node was in Pisces as if it was catching fish by means of

the string of its snake-like tail. Moon was in the sign of zodiac named

Leo, and Leo was also the Ascendant of the t ime when the king with

his sword occupied the lion-like throne. During such an auspicious

Ascendant and lucky moment the King wore the blazed diadem on his

head.



about 0800 Hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 0530 Hours East),on Tuesday, 13 June, 1290 A.D. (O.S.), 3 Jamadi II, 689 A.H., (Julian

day No. 2192393.60417). According to my calculations the Ascendant

was in Leo, Sun was in Gemini at 29deg., Moon was in Leo at 22deg.,

Mercury was in Cancer at 5deg. (retrograde), Venus was in Gemini at

16deg., Mars was in Scorpio at 11deg., Jupiter was in Cancer at 5deg.,

Saturn was in Aries at 9deg., Ascending Node was in Virgo at 18deg.,

and Descending Node was in Pisces at 18deg. The complete Horoscope


34/74

as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the above mentioned couplets is

given here as Horoscope No.7.

Note:- The position of Mercury has become controversial in thisHoroscope, because Ameer Khusro has indicated it to be at the end of

Gemini instead of at the beginning of Cancer as calculated by me.

Actually it was a border case, and the narrow difference between the

two positions may be due to the different formulas applied by me and

by Ameer Khusro. Moreover, Mercury was retrograde at that time, and

in such a case it becomes a more complicated process to determine its

zodiacal position accurately. However, the position of Mercury has

been retained here as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the Horoscope,

and I have disregarded my own calculations.

In his Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh (Page 9) Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary position on the occasion of marching of the

Army of King Jalal-ud-Din Khilji at Delhi against his enemy MalikChhajjoo. The appropriate time for starting this important operation

was selected and Astrologically pre-determined by Ameer Khusro as

he describes in the following couplets:-


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36/74

''

' '

Description of marching of the Army towards the East and getting the

territory released from the wicked enemy. Venus was holding the

scales in her hand in the sky and the scales (i.e. Libra) was coming up

from the eastern horizon (i.e. Libra was the Ascendant). Sun (with

seven colours of his light) was in Virgo (which represents barns ofwheat) along with Ascending Node (which is like the front portion of a

snake). This configuration reminded of the episode of the heavenly

peacock, the wheat and the snake. Mercury was also placed in Libra.

(Jupiter had also stepped on the sign of zodiac named Cancer which

looked like a five-footed throne). Saturn being the master of the goat

(i.e. Capricorn) was pulling the tail of the ram(i.e. Aries). Mars was

holding the bow (i.e. Sagittarius), and Moon was just approaching


37/74

there from the back. So there was a sort of conjunction of lunar

crescent and Mars in Sagittarius, as if a mili tary guard was on his

duty under the arch of the gate. Descending Node, having the sting in

the tail from Scorpio, was perturbed in the middle of Pisces. Libra was

the Ascendants while the king decorated the earth with the mili tary

flag, and it was the same dignified Ascendant during which the world

decorating Sun (i.e. the king) marched against his enemy.


calculated the correct time and degree of the planets as follows. It was

about 0820 hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 0530 hours East), on

Tuesday, 12 September, 1290 A.D. (O.S.), 6 Ramzan, 689 A.H. (Julian

day No. 2192484.61806). according to my calculations the Ascendant

was in Libra, Sun was in Virgo at 26deg., Moon was in Sagittarius at

10deg., Mercury was in Libra at 21deg., Jupiter was in Cancer at

24deg., Saturn was in Aries at 7deg. (retrograde), Ascending Node was

in Virgo at 13deg., and Descending Node was in Pisces at 13deg. The

complete Horoscope as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the above

mentioned couplets is given here as Horoscope No.8.


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Note: The fifth couplet relating to Jupiter (which is given above within

brackets) is not given in the text, but I have furnished it from Page 6 of

the same Matthnavi in order to complete the number of planets. The

original couplets is missing in the text, but the couplets so obtained

also carries the same sense. If a more authenticated copy of the text

becomes available, the original one wil l not be difficult to trace and can

very conveniently replace the existing one. The copy of the text of the

Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh available with the appears to be less

authentic.

In his Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh (Page 35) Ameer Khusro has

described the planetary positions on the occasion of the Entry of the


39/74

king Jalal-ud-din Khilj i into the Capital. The appropriate time for this

important function was selected and Astrologically pre-determined by

Ameer Khusro himself as he describes in the following couplets:-

''

' '

' ' ''

Description of the Entry of the King into the Capital of the Country,

and decorating it by this presence in the same manner as the Moon

adorns her sign of exaltation (i.e. Taurus). In Gemini there were

Venus, Mars and Sun; in the same place there was Mercury too and it

was placed between Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter was in Cancer, and

Saturn was in Aries near Pleiades. Descending Node was in Aries, and

Ascending Node was in Virgo; in this way these two Nodes were

secretly guarding all the planets from either side of the sky. (In other

words, all the seven planets were present in the visible half of the sky

within these two Nodes, the Ascending Node being in the Eastern

extremity of the sky and the Descending Node being in the Western

extremity of the sky.) Leo was in Ascendant and Moon was in Leo

while the King arrived at the place of his exaltation.


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about 1020 Hours Indian Standard Time (at Zone 0530 Hours East),

on Saturday, 2 June 1291 A.D. (O.S.), 3 Jamadi II, 690 A.H. (Julian

day No.219747.70139). According to my calculations, the Ascendant

was in Leo, Sun was in Gemini at 18deg., Moon was in Leo at 10deg.,

Mercury was in Gemini at 11de. (retrograde), Venus was in Gemini at

1deg. (retrograde), Mars was in Gemini at 29deg., Jupiter was in

Cancer at 29deg., Saturn was in Aries at 20deg., Ascending Node was

in Leo at 30deg., and Descending Node was in Aquarius at 30deg. Thecomplete Horoscope as indicated by Ameer Khusro in the above

mentioned couplets is given here as Horoscope No.9.

Note:- Originally in the text available it is mentioned that Saturn was

in Taurus near Pleiades. The original second line of the couplet is

given below :-


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I t is obviously a mistake of the scribe, because at that time Saturn was

not in Taurus, but it was in Aries at 20degrees. There is a difference of

at least 10 degrees between these two positions which is equivalent to

a difference of about 10months. As such, it is not probable that Ameer

Khurso would be guilty of making such an error in determining the

position of Saturn. Therefore, I have taken liberty of tampering with

the original text and have made a correction in the line (e.g. Saturn is

in Aries near Pleiades), and the corrected version of the text is given

below:-


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Actually the six or seven tiny stars of Pleiades are situated in the sky

near the boundary line of Aries and Taurus. So, if Saturn is positioned

either in the end of Aries or in the beginning of Taurus, the Pleiades

can be said to be near Saturn in both the positions, but more correctly

the position of Saturn was in the end of Aries and not in the beginning

of Taurus. Apart from this correction, I have made another correction

also in another line as follows. Originally the following first line of the

couplet is given in the available text:-

It means Descending Node was in Aquarius and Ascending Node was

in Virgo. Obviously it is ma mistake of the scribe, because these two

Nodes always remain exactly at the distance of six signs of zodiac

apart. So, If Descending Node is supposed to be in Aquarius, the

Ascending Node must be in Leo and not in Virgo. Similarly, if the

Ascending Node is supposed to be in Virgo, Descending Node must bein Pisces and not in Aquarius. Therefore, the above mentioned original

line can have only two possible versions, as given below:-

-

-

Although according to my calculations the version (a) appears to bemore appropriate, yet I have adopted the version (b), because in this

version only one word has been changed in the text, but in the version

(a) three words have been changed in the text. So I have adopted the

version of the least correction. Actually it was a border case and there

was a marginal variation of only less than half a degree between the

two versions. This negligible difference between the two versions may

be due to the different formulas used by me and by Ameer Khusro for


43/74

the calculations of the Nodes. However, as per overall consideration,

the version (b) has been finally adopted by me for the first line of the

couplet. The second line of this couplet also supports this version,

because this second line impl ies that these two Nodes were situated in

the two diametrically opposite signs of zodiac in such a way that all

the other seven planets were situated in the visible semi-circle of the

sky between these two diametrically opposite sings of zodiac. In other

words, the second line of this couplet indirectly says that Ascending

Node was situated in the signs which was just after all the signs of the

other planets, and Descending Node was situated in the sign whichwas just before all the signs of the other planets. This situation can

only be achieved by adopting the version (b) of the first line of this

couplet which has already been adopted by me in the text.


44/74

AMEER KHUSROS POETRY

WITH ASTROLOGICAL DESCRIPTIONS AND

PERSONIFICATIONS

In this category of poetry, Ameer Khusro has produced far superior

works as compared to his predecessors e.g. Firdausi, Anwari and Rumi

etc. Ameer Khusro has used the descriptions and personifications of

planets, stars, constellations, lunar mansions etc. to increase the

attractiveness of a scene or a function. Hundreds of couplets of this

type can be quoted from the works of Ameer Khusro, but only nine

examples are given below.

1. In his Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 328 to 330), Ameer Khusro

has given about 24 couplets in which he was described the

happiness and enthusiasm expressed by the seven planets to

participate in the rejoicings held at Dehli on the occasion of the

birth of Prince Muhammad, Son of King Mubarakshah. Only

fourteen couplets are given here :-


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On being impressed by the glory of the Prince, Saturn boasted, I am

trying to develop brotherhood with his slave. Hearing this boastful

desire, an angel checked him by saying 0, unbeliever with bad habits!

First of all, you must become a Muslim; only then you can utter such


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words. Jupiter also talked to Mercury wisely, I will hold a pen in my

hand to educate the Prince. Immediately Mercury replied, You

cannot do this, because the kings are always educated directly by

God. Mars also expressed his ambition, I will be the bodyguard of

the Prince like a Turk in the military dress. At this, Saturn said,

This high rank cannot be achieved by you, because there are many

Hindus and Turks like both of us. Quickly Sun said while moving, I

will be the sword of this lion (i.e. the Prince). At this, Jesus Christ

(who is supposed to be living in the fourth heaven which belongs to

Sun), said to Sun His (i.e. Princes) protector is God Alone; i t is thegreatest folly to think that the Prince will agree to take help from your

sword. In an emotional voice, Venus also said, I wil l be the singer at

his court. At this, her own small drum produced such a taunting

sounds as if it was saying, He already possess hundreds of melodious

singers like you. Mercury also said, I shall go there to remain always

present before him as a courtier in order to add to the glory of the

court. At this Venus told Mercury laughingly, How mad you are to

express such a desire! Dont you know that Khusro is already there for

this purpose? At this the sky cried so angrily that Moon started

trembling and slowing down, and said, 0, you, the shoe of his horse!

How do you dare to surpass your l imit?

Note :- Here Ameer Khusro has carefully taken into consideration theAstrological qualities of each planet, and their mutual relationships

etc. in order to express their rejoicings.

2. In this Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 330-331) Ameer Khusro

describes the ecstasy of the twelve signs of zodiac on the occasion

of the birth of Prince Muhammad. There are about fifteen

couplets, but only twelve couplets are given below:


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Aries told Mars (who is the lord of Aries) very seriously, Present me to

the Prince as an offering today. Taurus also expressed similar desire

and told Venus (who is the lord of Taurus) to starts singing low and

high tones. Gemini got an inspiration to decide what to do and it


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happily became the belt of Mercury (who is the lord of Gemini). When

Cancer (i.e. the Crab) saw his (i.e. Princes) wealth, it became a five

footed chair for his seat. Leo also, after recognizing the Princes

generosity, said, I will be a golden lion under his throne Virgo also

brought its grains, (because Virgo is picturised holding a barn of wheat

in her hand) so that it may be given to beggars after getting it touched

by the hands of the Prince (It is a special way of giving alms known as

Sadqa, or Nichhawar, or a propitiatory offering). Libra weighed all

treasures of heaven so that the same could be thrown before the people

as an offering. Scorpio also made use of its sting by piercing it into theeyes of the ill wishers. Sagittarius (i.e. the bow) also told this secret to

its benefic (i.e. to Jupiter who is the lord of Sagittarius), that we

should become servants before this Prince as soon as possible. The

goat (i.e. Capricorn) also started running at that time with a burning

heart, and said, I will be baked in the feast for celebrating the birth

of the Prince. Aquarius (i.e. pitcher) also started preparing the rope

saying I will provide water at the place, (i.e. at the place of the birth

of Prince Muhammad). In the breast of Pisces (i.e. the Fish) the desire

started pricking like thorns that I should also be served on this dish

(of the feast of the bir th of Prince Muhammad).

Note :- Here Ameer Khusro has made use of the Astrological shapes

and habits of the twelve signs of zodiac to express their desires toparticipate in the rejoicings of the birth of Prince Muhammad.

3. In this Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 331 to 333), Ameer Khusro

has depicted the happiness and desires of nine heavens on the

occasion of the birth of Prince Muhammad in about twenty five

couplets. Only eighteen couplets are given here :-


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The ninth heaven came over his head (i.e. over the head of Prince

Muhammad), saying, I will not allow any other heaven to become his

royal umbrella except myself. At this, an angel said to the ninth

heaven, You do not deserve to be his royal umbrella, because you are

not decorated properly, and there are no pearls attached to you,

(because the ninth heaven is supposed to be a plain surface without

any star or planet). The eighth heaven also boasted that I will

become his fortress. At this, the stars (which are supposed to be

placed in the eighth heaven) said to the eighth heaven He already

possesses many forts and each fort has hundreds of domes, whereasyou have only twelve domes (i.e. the twelve signs of zodiac). The

seventh heaven also stated, I will become a canopy over his head. At

this, Saturn (who is the ruler of the seventh heaven) said to the

seventh heaven, Dont stretch the bed sheet of a malefic like myself

over the head of a benefic like the Prince. The sixth heaven also said

without any sense of respect, I wil l become a palace adjacent to the

palace of the Prince. At this, Jupiter (who is the ruler of the sixth

heaven) said, How can it be possible that the dome of an humble

judge is placed in the neighborhood of the king? The fifth heaven also

said I wil l become a door-mat of the royal palace. At this, Mars (who

is the ruler of the fif th heaven), said to the fif th heaven, Give up this

ambition, because you are nothing but a tent of an insignificant soldier

like me. The fourth heaven also said, If luck helps me, I wil l become


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a throne for this Sun-like Prince. At this, Sun (who is the ruler of the

fourth heaven) said to the fourth heaven, You are only fi t to be my

throne, because the Prince is like the shadow of God, and it would be

below his dignity to accept you as his throne. Afterwards, the third

heaven also desired that I will become his drawing-room. At this,

Venus (who is the ruler of the third heaven) struck her small drum

very hard against the head of the thi rd heaven and said, How can a

king use the bedroom of a singers and dancer as his own drawing-

room?. The second heaven also said, I will be a strone-room for his

books. At this, Mercury (who is the ruler of the second heaven) said tothe second heaven, There are hundreds of librarians like myself, then,

how can my small book-shelf with its limi ted capacity be used as his

large book-store? The heaven of Moon (i.e. the first heaven) also said

to Moon, I will become a carpet in his palace. At this, Moon Said to

the first heaven, How can the Prince feel happy with you as his

carpet, because his door-mat may feel degraded even if it is compared

with the ninth heaven which is the highest heaven (whereas you are

the lowest heaven).

Note: Here Ameer Khusro has started from the highest heaven to the

lowest heaven. The highest heaven, or the ninth heaven is also called

heaven of heavens, because it is supposed to rotate with all the other

eight heavens inside it. The relationship of each heaven with aparticular planet has also been depicted very beautifully.

4. In his Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 333, 334), Ameer Khusro

describes how various stars expressed their greetings on the

occasion of the birth of Prince Muhammad. He has given about

ten couplets, but only one couplet is given below :-


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Altai rd was flying in the sky in such a pose, as if it was ready to take

out the eye-balls from the start ing eyes of his enemies.

Note :- There is a small constellations named Aquila which is in the

shape of a flying eagle. The brightest star of this constellation is

named Altair whose modern index No. is 51. Ameer Khusro has taken

advantage of this shape of the constellation in his couplet, and has

used the name of Altair in place of Aquila.

5. In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (page 16 to 18), Ameer

Khusro had described the state of the planets on the night of

Meraj of the Holy Propher Muhammad (peace be upon him) in

about twelve couplets. Only one couplet is given here:-

His reflection (i.e. the reflection of the Holy Prophet) fell on the face of

Saturn (when the Holy Prophet passed through the seventh heaven).

Due to this reflection such an auspicious effect was created, that the

malfeasance of Saturn was temporari ly converted into beneficence at

that moment.

Note :- It was due to the fact that the Holy Prophet had the powers ofchanging bad luck into good luck.

6. In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (page 164 to 167), Ameer

Khusro had described the happiness of the twelve signs of zodiac

and twenty eight lunar mansions at the night of Meraj of the

Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in about thir ty

couplets. Only one couplet is given here :-


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When the Holy Prophet passed through the eighth heaven which is

also called the heaven of fixed stars, Taurus arranged the offering

(for the Holy Prophet) from Pleiades; so the hump of its back was

loaded with the pearls.

Note:- The figure of Taurus in the sky is seen like a bull with a red

eye. The small cluster of six or seven small stars is also seen near

the hump of its back which is very beautiful ly arranged there. This

cluster is known as Pleiades and looks like pearls. Ameer Khusro

has taken advantage of this configuration and states that Taurus

was carrying a hug treasure of pearls on the hump of its back to

offer the same as a Sadqa of the Holy Prophet.

7. In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 11,12), Ameer

Khusro has described the special state of the planets at the nightof Meraj of the Holy Porphet in about twelve couplets. Only one

couplet is given below :-

When the Holy Prophet passed through the third heaven which is

ruled by Venus, Venus was so impressed by the pious appearance of

the Holy Prophet, that she gave up her bad habits of singing with

musical instruments, and instead of holding her curled hair in her

hand as a fashionable gesture, she held beads in her hand for prayer to

God.


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Note :- Ameer Khusro wants to show that not only the inhabitants of

the earth, but also the heavenly bodies were influenced by the

presence of the Holy Prophet, so as to discard the un-Islamic practices.

8. In his Mathnavi, Tughlaq Namah (page 80,81,103), Ameer

Khusro has described the happiness and desire of the stars and

the planets when King Ghyasuddin Tughlaq was deploying his

army against the enemy. There are about twenty couplets, but

only one couplet is given here:-

From his house (i.e. from Aries) Mars also saw him (i.e. King

Ghyasuddin Tughlaq) marching with his army. Mars also gazed

at the shoulder bone (i.e. Scapula) of the ram in order to find out

a good omen for the victory of the King.

Note:- Aries is the home sign of Mars and he attains power in

this sign. The shape of Aries is like a ram with two prominent

horns on its head. It was customary in those days to gaze at the

scapula of a goat or a ram, after scribing some special figures on

it, in order to find out an omen or a prediction for a particular

person at a particular moment. Ameer Khusro has taken

advantage of this common practice in this couplets.

9. In his Mathnavi, Miftah-ul-Futooh (page 9), Ameer Khusro

described the specialty of the moment when king Jalaluddin

Khilji ordered his Army to march against his enemy Malik

Chhajjoo. There are about three couplets but only one couplet is

given here:-


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It was the moment when the Sun raised the metallic point of his

spear from the eastern horizon upto the height of a bamboo.

Note :- Here Ameer Khusro has given a very beautiful

Astrological personification in order to say that the relevant time

was between 8 and 9 0clock in the morning.


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AMEER KHUSROS POETRY

WITH ASTROLOGICAL FIGURES OF SPEECH

Although Ameer Khusro may not be said to be the inventor of this

category of poetry, yet he had adopted a special style of his own which

was quite unique as compared to his predecessors e.g. Firdausi,

Anwari and Rumi etc.

There are hundreds of couplets in the poetry of Ameer Khusro in

which Astrological terms and symbolisms have been used as figures of

speech, such as similes, metaphors, exaggerations etc. Only fifteen

examples are given below.

1. In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (Page 144) Ameer Khusro

says:-

The occurrence of conjunction of Moon with Sun, and also the

conjunction of Venus with Jupiter, both indicated that the

revolving heavens had suggested to them (i.e. to King Kaiqubad

and to his father Bughra Khan) that they should also come

together in a peaceful atmosphere.

Note:- By Astronomical computations I have found that the

conjunction of Moon with Sun took place at about 17 degrees of

Gemini near about on Monday, May 31, 1288 A.D. (O.S), and the

conjunction of Venus with Jupiter took place at about 10 degrees

of Taurus near about Wednesday, June 9, 1288 A.D. (O.S). The


57/74

conjunction of the two auspicious planets, Venus and Jupiter,

was such a prominent phenomenon that Ameer Khusro decided

to make it the t it le of his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain, because

Qiran means conjunction, and Saadain means Venus and

Jupiter. Subsequently this auspicious meeting between King

Kaiqubad and Bughra Khan took place on Wednesday, June 23

1288 A.D. (O.S) which was considered to be due to the good

influences of the above mentioned two conjunctions.

2. In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (page 145) in praise of the

royal boat Ameer Khusro says :-

It (i.e. the royal boat) was like a crescent whose basic material was

timber of sal, and it was straightened in the shape of a boat in ten

sals or year (although a crescent is straightened in the same shapewithin less then ten days)/

Note :- Here Ameer Khusro has played a pun on the word sal which

means a particular timber as well as a year.

3. In his Mathnavi Qiran-us-Saadain (page 231) Ameer Khusro

describes the return of King Kaiqubad to Delhi as follows:-

The return of the king (i.e. Kaiqubad) to his capital city (i.e. Dehli) was

as auspicious as the return of Jupiter to Sagittarius and the return of

Moon to Cancer.


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Note : Jupiter and Moon are benefics, and Sagittarius and Cancer are

their home signs respectively. The moments when these two planets

return to their home signs are considered to be very auspicious.


describes the wonderful performance of the dancers of the court

of King Kaiqubad in the following couplet:-

In the gathering of those stars (i.e. the courtiers) even Venus was

enchanted by the performance of the dancers (of the court).

Note : Venus is depicted as a heavenly dancer and singer whose

performance is considered to be the most excewllent.


expresses his wish that the happiness of the reign of KingKaiqubad may last for ever. He says:-

May his (i.e. the Kings) luxur ious authority remain effective for ever;

may Venus sing songs for him with musical instruments and may

Moon serve wine for him with pleasure and pride.

Note:- In Astrology, Venus is considered as the heavenly dancer and

signer, and Moon is considered as a Saqi who serves wine.

6. In his Mathnavi Nuh Sephar (page 120), Ameer Khusro praises

the behavior of the war-elephants whom the compares with some

zodiacal signs. He says:-


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While advancing, they (i.e. the war elephants) are stormy wind like

Gemini and Libra; while fighting, they are torrents and blazes like

Cancer and Leo respectively

Note:- Aries, Leo, Sagittarius pertain to fire; Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

pertain to earth; Gemini, Libra, Aquarius pertain to air; Cancer,

Scorpio, Pisces pertain to water. Ameer Khusro has taken advantage

of these Astrological qualities of the signs of zodiac to compare Gemini

and Libra with air, to compare Cancer with water, and to compare Leo

with fire.

7. In his Mathnavi Nuh Sepahr (page 135), Ameer Khusro praises

the strict discipline maintained by King Qutubuddin

Mubarakshah in his kingdom. He says:-

If Saturn raises his head against the Islamic orders, he may no

longer see his head on his shoulders, because the sword of the

king is very sharp just l ike the sword of Mars.

Note :- Saturn is generally considered as an unbeliever who is

indifferent to Islamic laws; Mars is generally considered as a

soldier whose sword is extremely sharp.

8. In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khar (page 18), Ameer

Khusro in praise of Sultan Alauddin Khil ji says:-


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Saturn applies the dust of his door (i.e. the kings door) to his

own face as if it were a rouge, in the same manner as a Hindu

spreads red coloured powder (i.e. cinnabar) to his face in his

festival of spring season (i.e. festival of Holi).

Note:- Saturn is generally compared to a Hindu, mainly because

Saturn belongs Astrologically to the country of Hind or India. On

the other hand, Saturn pertains to earth or dust, and belongs to

the seventh heaven which is the highest heaven as compared to

the heavens of other planets. So Ameer Khusro wants to say that

the dignity of the king was so high that even Saturn considered

it an honour for himself to apply the dust of the kings door to his

face. Ameer Khusro has taken advantage of the earthy nature of

Saturn.

9. In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 116) Ameer

Khusro describe the attempt of Prince Khazir Khan to go to theapartment of his beloved Dawalrani secretly during a moonlit

night, but due to the moon- light it was very difficult for him to

hide himself from the eyes of her attendants. He says:-

Although he (i.e. the Prince) wanted to go secretly to meet his

moon like beloved, yet he was less informed about the scorpion

like behavior of the Moon (whose light was exposing him to the

eyes of the night-guards).

Note:- Scorpio has the shape of a scorpion and i t is the sign of

debilitat ion for Moon. So Moon is afflicted by Scorpio when it

passes through that sign and the duration of Moon-in-Scorpio is


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considered to be a very inauspicious moment. Here Ameer

Khusro has created an extremely beautiful situation by saying

that, in this case, Moon was itself behaving like Scorpio for the

Prince.

10. In His Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 115) Ameeer

Khusro describes the pomp and show of the procession of the

marriage of Prince Khazir Khan with the daughter of Alap Khan,

in which very sweet Indian music was being played and many

acrobats were showing their feats. He says:-

The Indian music was so enchanting that it took away the

consciousness from Venus; and Mars also lost pride in his show

of strength and dexterity, (while he saw a better show of the

feats and cleverness of the acrobats).

Note:- Venus is considered to be the heavenly dancer and singer,

and Mars is considered to be the heavenly soldier of great

strength and dexterity.

11. In his Mathnavi Dawalrani Khazir Khan (page 183), Ameer

Khusro praises the horse of Prince Khazir Khan in the following

couplet:-

The sky earnestly desires that its lunar crescent may achieve the

honour of becoming the horse-shoe (of the horse of the Prince).


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Note:- Here is a beautiful simile between the lunar crescent and the

horse-shoe.

12. In his Mathnavi Tughlaq Namah (page 81) Ameer Khusropraises the protective quality of Sultan Gyasuddin Tughlaq in

the following couplets:-

Mercury has placed himself under the shade of the royal umbrella (of

King Gyasuddin Tughlaq) in the hope of not being burnt due to the

proximity of the Sun.

Note: The orbit of Mercury is so close to the Sun, that, as seen from the

earth, Mercury rapidly and repeatedly attains such proximity to the

sun that its light is lost under the light of the Sun. Astrologically this

phenomenon is known as burning. Ameer Khurso says that the

protective quality of the king is so great that even Mercury seeks

protection under the royal umbrella due to the fear of being burnt

under the sun.

13. In his Mathnavi Tughlaq Namah (page 122), Ameer

Khusro describes a scene when Sultan Ghyauddin Tughlaq was

standing under his own royal flaq in the following couplets:-

The king stood under his own fish-like royal flag with the same

royal pomp and show as the greatest benefic (i.e. Jupiter) enjoys

in the sign of fish (i.e. Pisces).


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Note:- Astrologically Pisces is the home sign of Jupiter in which

the planet attains power and strength; the flag fluttering in air is

figuratively compared to a fish moving in water.

14. In his Mathanvi Tughlaq Namah (page 135) Ameer Khusro

describes the entry of Sultan Ghyasuddin Tughlaq into the royal

palace of Delhi while rid ing on his horse. He Says:-

Entry of the horse of Ghazi Malik into the royal palace was as

dignified as the entry of the brilliant Sun into his own sign (i.e.

Leo).

Note:- Here Ameer Khusro compares the king with Sun, and the

royal palace with Leo which is the home sign of Sun.

15. In his Mathnavi Miftah-ul-Futooh (Page 11) Ameer Khusrodescribes the ferocity of the battle between king Jalaluddin Khi lj i

and Malik Chhajjoo. He says:-

Due to the rising of the dust in the battle field to a very great

height upto the heaven, the watery sings of zodiac were

converted into earthy signs to zodiac.

Note:- Here Ameer Khusro has used a very beautiful Astrological

exaggeration. The watery signs of zodiac are Cancer, Scorpio and

Pisces; the earthy signs of zodiac are Taurus, Virgo and

Capricorn.


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SOME ELEMENTARY INFORMATION

ABOUT ASTROLOGICAL TERMS AND HOROSCOPES

NAMES AND PARTICULARS OF THE TWELVE SIGNS OF

ZODIAC ARE:-

1. Aries (a ram), home for Mars, exaltation for Sun, debilitat ion

for Saturn.

2. Taurus (a bull), home for Venus, exaltation for Moon.

3. Gemini (the twins), home for Mercury.

4. Cancer (a crab), home for Moon, exaltation for Jupiter,

debilitat ion for Mars.

5. Leo (a lion), home for Sun.

6. Virgo (a virgin), home and exaltation for Mercury, debilitat ion

7. Libra (the scales) home for Venus, exaltation for Saturn,

debilitat ion for Sun.

8. Scorpio (a scorpion), home for Mars, debilitation for Moon.

9. Sagittarius (a bow), home for Jupiter.

10. Capricorn (a goat), home for Saturn, exaltation for Mars,

debilitation for Jupiter.

11. Aquarius (a pitcher), home for Saturn.

12. Pisces (two fishes), home for Jupiter, exaltation for Venus,

debilitat ion for Mercury.


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NAMES AND PARTICULARS OF NINE PLANETS ARE :-

1.Sun a king with a crown, male, full age, pertains to fire,

relates to Sunday, belongs to fourth heaven, represents fatherand wealth, malefic by position and benefic by aspect, lord of Leo,

exaltation in Aries, debilitation in Libra, aphelion in Gemini,

indicates Hijaz and Bait-ul-Maqdas.

2. MOON a minister or a saqi, female in astrology but male in

literature, middle age, pertains to water, relates to Monday,

belongs to first heaven, represents mother and peace, benefic

when waxing but malefic when waning, lord of Cancer,

exaltation in Taurus, debilitation in Scorpio, indicates Mosul and

Azarbaijan.

3. MARS - a soldier with a sword, male, elderly age, pertains to

fire, relates to Tuesday, greater malefic, lord of Aries and Scorpio

exaltation in Capricorn, debilitation in Cancer, indicates Syria

and Turkey.

4. MERCURY a scholar with a pen, sexless in astrology but

male in literature, boyhood in astrology but elderly age in

literature, pertains to earth and air, relates to Wednesday,

belongs to second heaven, represents education and relation,

benefic, lord of Gemini and Virgo, exaltation in Virgo,

debilitation in Pisces, indicates Mecca and Madina.

5. JUPITER a priest and a judge with a robe, male in astrology

but female in literature, nearing old age, pertains to air, relates

to Thursday, belongs to sixth heaven, represents children and

prosperity, greatest benefic, lord of Sagittarius and Pisces,


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exaltation in Cancer, debilitation in Capricorn, indicates

Khurasan and Iran.

6. VENUS a dancer with a small drum or guitar, female, virginage, pertains to air and water, relates to Friday, belongs to third

heaven, represents wife and pleasure, greater benefic, lord of

Taurus and Libra, exaltations in Pisces, debilitation in Virgo,

indicates Babylonia and Arabia.

7. SATURN a servant with a stick, male, old age, pertains to

earth, relates to Saturday, belongs to seventh heaven, represents

longevity and servants, greatest malefic, lord of Capricorn and

Aquarius, exaltation in Libra, debilitation in Aries, indicates

Indian and Ethiopia.

8. Ascending Node or Ras - It is the point of intersection of

Ecliptic with the orbit of Moon at which the Moon ascends

towards north of Ecliptic. In Astrology i t is also considered as a

planet. When it makes conjunction with other planets, is

increases their good or bad influences. It is a benefic.

9. Descending Node or Zanab It is the point of intersection of

Ecliptic with the orbit of Moon at which the Moon descends

towards south of Eclipt ic. In Astrology it is also considered as a

planet. When it makes conjunction with other planets, it

decreases their good or bad influences. It is a malefic.

Note:- In fact a monstrous snake is imagined in the celestial

sphere whose head is Ras and whose tai l us Zanab; both of these

always remain diametrically opposite to each other and they

always move backward on the Eclipt ic with a very slow motion.


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HOROSCOPE:- A horoscope is a special chart which represents

the planetary position with respect to a particular place, and at a

particular moment, date, month and year. In a horoscopes there

are twelve houses and each house belongs to certain modes or

activities of life, few of which are given below.

1. FIRST HOUSE The first house which is also known as

ascendant, indicates the eastern horizon, belongs to

personality, character, face etc.

2. SECOND HOUSE The second house belongs to accumulated

wealth, treasures etc.

3. THIRD HOUSE The third house belongs to brothers,

relatives, tourism, mobility etc.

4. FOURTH HOUSE The fourth house belongs to father,

mother, peace etc.

5. FIFTH HOUSE The fifth house belongs to children, gifts,

education etc.

6. SIXTH HOUSE The sixth house belongs to subordinates,

dignity, enemy etc.

7. SEVENTH HOUSE The seventh house belongs to wife,husband, journey, prosperity etc.

8. EIGHTH HOUSE The eighth house belongs to fear, danger,

and death etc.

9. NINTH HOUSE The ninth house belongs to religion,

wisdom, intell igence etc.


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10. TENTH HOUSE The tenth house belongs to hope, fame,

king etc.

11. ELEVENTH HOUSE The eleventh house belongs toincome, increase, profit etc.

12. TWELFTH HOUSE The twelf th house belongs to

elephants, horses, bullocks, expenditure etc.

ASPECTS :- In Astrological predictions, various Aspects of the

planets also play a great part.

1. NO. ASPET if two planets are placed one sign apart (i.e. if

one planet is in the second sign from the other), there is no

aspect between them. Also if two planets are five signs apart

(i.e. if one planet is in the sixth sign from the other), there is

no aspect between them.

2. CONJUNCTION If two planets are placed close to one

another (i.e. if one planet is in the same sign as the other), it

is Conjunction Aspect, and it is considered to have a normal

influence.

3. SEXTILE If two planets are placed two sings apart (i.e. if

one planet is in the thi rd sign from the other), if is a sextile

aspect between them, and it is considered to have a better

influence.

4. SQUARE If two planets are placed three signs apart (i.e. if

one planet is in the fourth sign from the other), it is a square

aspect and it is considered to have worse influence.


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5. TRINE If two planets are placed four signs apart (i.e. If one

planet is in the fifth sign from the other), it is a trine aspect

and it is considered to have best inf luence.

6. OPPOSITION If two planets are placed six sings apart (i.e.

if one planet is in the seventh sign from the other), it is an

opposition aspect and it is considered to have the worst

influence.

In order to elaborate the Astrological Terms and Horoscopes etc.

the following appendices have been given in the end.

Appendix A:- Some Particulars of Planets.

Appendix B:- Some Particulars of Signs of Zodiac.

Appendix c:- Description of Lunar Mansions.

Appendix D:- Description of few Stars and Constellations.

Appendix E:- Particulars of Aspect of Planets and Particulars of

a Horoscope.

Appendix F:- Relation between the planets and Signs of Zodiac.


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Conference on Amir Khusrao

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