Last week we examined the two 40-year rules of Lahore rulers, namely of Vikramaditya Chandragupta II (373AD – 413AD) and Maharajah Ranjit Singh (1799AD – 1839AD). Just how did they manage so well, asked one reader, and who were their advisers? Seems a reasonable query. But then another acquaintance quipped just why a Muslim ruler was not considered? So in this piece let me put forth Vikramaditya’s ‘Navratnas’ (or nine gems) or Ministers/Advisers, and compare them to the finest and most successful Muslim ruler, namely the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556 AD – 1605 AD), and his 49-year rule. Needless to say that Akbar copied the ‘Navratnas’ model of Vikramaditya. Success served as a model, for very quality ministers make sure a country is stable and the people happy, and not hungry. Today that is not possible.

First the ‘Nine Gems’ (Ministers) of Vikramaditya. Top of this list comes Kalidasa, one of the greatest Sanskrit writers and intellectuals of the ancient subcontinent. His classic ‘Abhijna-Shakuntalam’ has been translated into almost every language of the world. He was of Kashmiri origin, though Nepal also lays claim to him. Next was Amarasimha, a Sanskrit grammarian, whose classic is called ‘Trikanda’.

The third ‘gem’ was Varahamihira, a great astronomer, astrologer, architect, and geography expert who also supplied the ruler with opinions on marriage and ill omens. His work titled ‘Brihat Jataka’ is even today a standard work on astrology. The fourth ‘gem’ was Dhanvantri, who experts believe was the father of the Ayurveda system of medicine.

The fifth ‘gem’ was Ghatakarapara, the architect and sculpture expert, and most probably responsible for the Gupta-era monuments all over the subcontinent. The sixth was Shanku the architect who’s classic ‘Shilpa Shastra’ is still read by students of the subject. The seventh ‘gem’ was Kahapanaka, another astrologer who wrote ‘Jyotishya Shastra’.

The eighth ‘gem’ was a Prakrit grammarian called Vararuchi, whose contribution was the first book of Prakrit grammar. It seems Prakrit was closely replacing a dying Sanskrit. The ninth ‘gem’ was Vetala Bhatta, a magician and author of ‘Mantrashastra’. The nine ‘gems’ clearly reflect the need of the ruler to understand the real, the imagined and the occult. I will not analyse the trend then and the trend now, for that is for the reader to undertake.

So with three linguists/grammarians, two astrologers, two architects, a doctor and a magician, just what should have been the political policy of this great ruler? Firstly, education seems to be a top priority, followed by construction/reconstruction, the health of the people, and astrology and a magician could well be the mental health of the population. Sounds very much like a modern welfare state. The end result was prosperity and happiness.

Let us jump another 1,183 years forward and have a look at the structure of the nine ‘gems’ (Ministers) of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Top of the list was army chief Raja Maan Singh the First. He was related to Akbar and of all the forces in Mughal India he remained the most trusted.

Next was his Prime Minister Abu’l Fazl ibn Mubarak, who noted his every activity and eventually came up with his famous book ‘Akbarnama’. He could speak all the major languages and the result was that he instilled in Akbar a liberal caring attitude. To a great degree Akbar’s education minister was the greatest influence, he being Faizi, the brother of Abu’l Fazl. An expert in Islamic theology and Greek literature, he was a poet and teacher of Akbar’s sons.

The fourth of Akbar’s ‘gems’ was Mian Tan Sen, one of the greatest classical music exponents of his time. His contribution to North Indian classical music still endures. In his time he set up a number of music schools whose influence endures to this day. The fifth ‘gem’ was Fakir Azizuddin (not the Ranjit Singh era one), who was a great Islamic scholar and advised the emperor on Islamic jurisprudence.

The sixth ‘gem’ was the Home Minister and head of police, who was known as Mullah Do-Piyaza. Now here we see him mentioned in the ‘Akbarnama’, but then there is a school of scholars who claim he was secretive and, in all probability a fictional person. He was head of Akbar’s intelligence. His claim to fame was his rivalry with Akbar’s foreign minister Raja Birbal, the seventh ‘gem’, a rivalry that has achieved folklore fame.

Raja Birbal was a Hindu Brahmin who also excelled in classical music and poetry. Initially he joined Akbar’s court as a poet and soon became a sought after adviser on matters religion and military. But Mullah Do-Piyaza developed an understandable rivalry with him after the Brahmin converted to Akbar’s ‘Deen-e-Elahi’.

The eighth ‘gem’ was Akbar’s famed Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana, the son of Bairam Khan, a guardian of Akbar. His knowledge of matters defence was legendary, even though he wrote a book on astrology as well as composed religious poems (dohas).

The ninth ‘gem’ was the Minister of Finance, Raja Todar Mal. He started off as a writer and soon took an interest in accounting and architecture. This led him to put in place a modern land accounting system, which is used to this day. Today’s financial system, in both India and Pakistan, especially revenue collecting, still follows the principles laid down by Raja Todar Mal.

So, with three advisers on matters military, one on intelligence matters, two on religious affairs, one on education, one on music, and, lastly, a revenue expert. Now this structure points to an armed state, with a religious bent of mind, concentrating on land control and revenue collection, with a veneer of culture. Sounds so very familiar.

So here were have two sets of nine ‘gems’ (Ministers) working for the ruler of Lahore, and India by extension, well over 1,183 years apart. In the Gupta reign we have two grammarians, two architects, two astrologers, a medicine person, a writer and a magician. Just how should one interpret the main thrust of the ruler who managed to expand his educational system, built exquisite structures and have peace in the land with enough food for the people?

By contrast we have the nine ‘gems’ of Akbar, who were three persons devoted to defence and the army, two religious scholars, one to education, one to music, one to languages and one to finance. This shows a rule based on the strength of the army, with an efficient tax collection system, having a religious frame of mind with an inclination towards a mix of different religions, with education and the finer arts appreciated.

In a way the structure of a government’s advisers and ministers, call them ‘gems’, or even any other description, reflect the direction in which a ruler wishes to change a society. The real purpose is to control the people efficiently. We see in both cases the role of education and the liberal arts, which reflect toleration and scholarship, as, probably, the most important feature of a dynamic society.

The question to ask would be that did both rulers provide the people of our land a ‘turning point’ which could provide a means of improving their lot. This is where studying history comes into play. Today the writing of history itself is changing, and instead of concentrating on kings and queens and armed clashes, the quality of life of the people is what needs to be studied. The people stand out as the sole parameter. We must all ask ourselves this question. Does the system we live in provide a tolerant, educated and economically well-off future for our children? You all know the answer.