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Sarmad, whose name derives from the Persian (Sar+Amad word for eternal, was a Armenian mystic, poet and saint in India during the 17th century. He arrived in India from a Jewish merchant family, only to renounce Judaism and adopt Islam, which he allegedly later renounced in favor of Hinduism, which he is also supposed to have renounced. Sarmad was known for espousing and ridiculing the major religions of his day, but also wrote beautiful religious poetry in the form of rubaiyats, or quatrains. He is known to have wandered the streets and the courts of the emperor completely naked, and to have fallen in love with a 14 year old Hindu boy. Finally, he was beheaded in 1661 by the Emperor Aurungzebe for his perceived heretical poetry. Sarmad's ambiguous religious affiliation is disputed today by Jews, Muslims and Hindus. His grave is located near the Jama Masjid in Delhi, India.
[edit] External Resources
[edit] Further reading
- Gupta, M.G. Sarmad the Saint: Life and Works, Revised Edition. MG Publishers, 2000. ISBN 81-85532-32-X.
- Ezekial, Isaac A. Sarmad: (Jewish Saint of India). 2nd ed. Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1974. ASIN B0006EXYM6.
