Note 167 — The Thirteenth New Year’s Feast

Jahāngīr says four g͟haṛī are nearly equal to two sidereal hours. According to Abū-l-Faẓl, a g͟haṛī is the sixteenth part of a nychthemeron, or 360 out of the 21,600 breathings which make up a nychthemeron—i.e., 24 hours. See Jarrett, III. 16 and 17, and II. 16, n. 4. According to the Bahār-i-ʿajam, 2½ g͟haṛī = one sidereal hour, so that, correctly speaking, five g͟haṛī = two sidereal hours. Each g͟haṛī is 24 minutes (Jarrett, II. 16, n. 4). Here it should be noted that there is a mistake in the translation at p. 17, line 2, of Jarrett, vol. III., due to a faulty reading in the Bib. Ind. edition of the text. Instead of yakī we should read palī, as in two MSS. in my possession. Abū-l-Faẓl’s meaning then becomes clear. What he says is, a g͟haṛī is 360 breathings, consequently (pas) every pal (already defined as the sixtieth part of a g͟haṛī) is 360 divided by 60, and equal to six breathings (nafas). Jahāngīr’s line, however, is obscure. In two I.O. MSS. we have ba-t̤ālaʿī instead of ba-sāʿatī. I think the meaning probably is that the same day which marked Jahāngīr’s arrival at Fatḥpūr also marked S͟hāh-Jahān’s birthday.

Tawallā is defined in the Bahār-i-ʿajam as meaning to have friendship with anyone. It also says that it is used in the sense of taqarrub—i.e., nearness. It may be therefore that Jahāngīr’s line means “At a moment which nearly corresponded to two (hours).” Taqwīm would then mean established or fixed, and not a calendar. Taqwīm kardan is a phrase which means “to adjust, to arrange.” ↑