भारतीय इतिहास के ६ स्वर्णिम पृष्ठ (वीर सावरकर - विदेशी आक्रान्ताओं पर विजय गाथा)

committed on the Hindus, in the name of religion, by the former Sultans, they were followed with disastrous revolts. Sometimes, even the whole Sultanates were consumed in the conflagration of the Hindu wrath. In order to avoid this disastrous end for his empire, and to establish a tranquil administration of his own, did he treat all his subjects, whether they were Hindus or Muslims, justly so far as their individual life was concerned and much more leniently and harmlessly than other emperor like Allauddin or Aurangzeb. But once again, let it be remembered that it was not because he believed in the equality of men or the equality of the Hindus and the Muslims irrespective of their religion, certainly not because he did not consider the Hindus to be kafirs! 990. Once he became the all-powerful and absolute monarch in temporal affairs of his empire, his ambition goaded him on to found a new religion to be another Paigambar and lord of the spiritual life of the people! To that end, he thought of starting an absolutely new religion quite different from either Hinduism or Islam. But here, also, it must be remembered that as he knew it would be disastrous to force it cruelly on the people, as had other Muslim Sultans done earlier or as Aurangzeb did it later, Akbar very slyly tried to undermine Hinduism through his Din-e-elahi; for the Chief Paigambarship of this religion was to be ceded inevitably to Akbar himself. No Hindu could greet others with a ‘Namaskar’, he had per force to say ‘Allah-o-Akbar!’ The accredited language, too, of this new religion ‘Din-e- elahi’ was Arabic! It may, however, be noted in passing, that this quixotic ambition (idea) of Akbar of becoming the spiritual lord of the human race came to nought. For, beside the flattering sycophants in his court, none of the Hindus or the Muslims accepted it as their creed; the sycophants themselves had nothing to do with it the moment Akbar died. 990A. However, of the many great emperors that lived at the time in Europe or Africa or Asia, Akbar was the greatest in respect of his strategy, his wielding of the widest power, bravery, founding of a vast empire, his patronage of learning and arts and crafts. Although, according to some writers, he was illiterate, he patronized great authors and encouraged the writing of famous books! This comparative greatness history can concede to him, and we do not hesitate to call him great as he really was. But with all that greatness, he was, from our Hindu point of view, foreign, belonging to another religion and mean-minded and, as such, he should be decried by us, Hindus!