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Mir Abu’ 1- Qasim Findiriski (d. 1640 - 41) was a famous teacher of philosophy in Isfahan and men like Sadr al - Din Shirazi (who became the greatest philosopher of his time), and Sarmad K the poet saint who was D Shikoh’s teacher and spiritual guide,2 were among his pupils Mir Findiriski was not a prolific writer, and, in spite of his renown, our knowledge about his life is very scanty. The writers of tadhkiras unanimously praise his merits as a philosopher and poet; but do not tell us much about his career. Of his writings we have a rather small treatise in Persian on sciences (Ris?-i Sin?’Iyya ) from a philosophical point of view; a mystico - philosophical qasida svhich has often been quoted in anthologies and commented upon by Sharif Darabi and a number of ghazals, ruba’is and verse frrgments, some of which have a Süfi colouring. Besides these, there are his works on the
Persian translation of the Laghu yoga - u?sishtha, wich be wrote during the later period of his life. These latter works will be discussed in the forthcoming pages.
Most ladhkira writers who give his biography say that he went to India and stayed thet e for a number of years; but none of them says that why and exactly when this took place. Mir FindiriskI certainly did not go to India to gain fame and fotrune, as a number of his contemporaies did. He was already a well - known philosopher in his homeland, and was personally known and respected by Sh?h ‘Abb?s I(1557 - 1629). We know that in India he was not connected to the court of any of the Mughul rulers. W D (18th century), who writes the biographies of Persian poets and writers, and in his Riy?d al- shu ‘ar?’ calls the Mfr the Aristotle of the age in philosophy (hikmat) and Abü YazId of the time in mysticism (tasawwuf) «, says that in India he used to live incognito and was engaged in very low occupations. Daghis - t?nI
adds, however, that the Mir had an interview with the king of India, but he does not tell us who this king was.