mysticism whose spiritual pantheism had its origin in, or at least was
strongly influenced by, the doctrine of the All-One, held by the
Brahman Vedânta system. The Sûfi doctrine teaches religious tolerance
and has apparently strengthened Akbar in his repugnance towards the
intolerant exclusiveness of Sunnitic Islam.

The Ulemâs must have been horror-stricken when they found out that
Akbar even sought religious instruction from the hated Brahmans. We
hear especially of two, Purushottama and Debî by name, the first of
whom taught Sanskrit and Brahman philosophy to the Emperor in his
palace, whereas the second was drawn up on a platform to the wall of
the palace in the dead of the night and there, suspended in midair,
gave lessons on profound esoteric doctrines of the Upanishads to the
emperor as he sat by the window. A characteristic bit of Indian local
color! The proud Padishah of India, one of the most powerful rulers of
his time, listening in the silence of night to the words of the
Brahman suspended there outside, who himself as proud as the Emperor
would not set foot inside the dwelling of one who in his eyes was
unclean, but who would not refuse his wisdom to a sincere seeker after
truth.

Akbar left no means untried to broaden his religious outlook. From
Gujerat he summoned some Parsees, followers of the religion of
Zarathustra, and through them informed himself of their faith and
their highly developed system of ethics which places the sinful
thought on the same level with the sinful word and act.

From olden times the inhabitants of India have had a predisposition
for religious and philosophical disputations. So Akbar, too, was
convinced of the utility of free discussion on religious dogmas. Based