Rustam and Sohrab

Rustam was a celebrated wrestler who was immortalized in the Iranian epic Shahnameh by Firdowsi. It is said that his birth was a particularly difficult one for his mother called Rudaba. As his father worried that she might die due to the size of the baby, he summoned the mythical flying creature, Simurgh, who taught him how to perform a caesarean section. Later, Rustam was trained in arms by his father who was an Iranian King skilled at warfare. According to a legend, Rustam killed a mad elephant with one blow and was able to tame a mad horse that later became his favourite one and served him in many adventures. Firdowsi wrote in his epic that Rustam had to go through seven stages to save Kai Kavuss, the Shah of Iran, who had been captured by the Daevas, the “false Gods”. The seven stages are known as the Haft Khan-e-Rustam.

In the first stage, Rustam’s horse killed the lion that attacked him while he was sleeping. In the second stage, he wished to quench his thirst in a desert and followed a sheep to reach a nearby fountain of water. As he proceeded in the forest in third stage, his horse spotted a dragon and neighed loudly to wake him up from sleep. Rustam failed to see the dragon at first due to darkness but when he saw, he killed it. In the fourth stage, he encountered an evil sorceress and killed her also. In the fifth stage, he proceeded to kill the main demon after conquering his champion, Olad. In the sixth stage, he saved Kai Kavuss who had been rendered sightless due to the sorcery of the demons. In the seventh and the final stage, he faced the White Demon who was the chief of the Daevas. It is said that the Shah’s blindness was cured using the blood of the White Demon’s heart.

Once Rustam entered the Kingdom of Samangan tracking his lost horse where he stayed as the King’s guest for a night. The King’s daughter, Tahmina, had heard about Rustam’s extraordinary strength and bravery. She had been totally enamoured by him even without meeting him ever and had relinquished the luxuries of the world in pining for him all the time. Finding it a great opportunity to realise her dream, she entered Rustam’s chamber at night and asked him for a child. Rustam obliged her and gifted her with a jewel for the new-born saying that if she gave birth to a daughter, the jewel would have to be braided in her hair but if there was a son, the jewel would be given to him as a talisman for his safety. Tahmina was blessed with a son who was named Sohrab. Years later, in the battle of Iran and Turan, the father and the son, unaware of each other, fought from opposite sides. The Turan army surrendered before the mighty Rustam but sent its famed wrestler Sohrab to face him finally. Ignorant of their relationship with each other, they fought a long and tough battle which culminated in Sohrab’s death. As Rustam stabbed his son in the heart, he saw the talisman he had given years ago to Tehmina but, tragically enough, it was too late to discover this.

Reference: Takht nasheenon ka kya rishta tahzeeb-o-aadaab ke saath/Ye jab chahein jang kara dein Rustam aur Sohrab ke saath (Rahbar Jaunpuri), Hamaari jur’aton ki daad dena/Magar ab kya karein Rustam naheen hai (Shauq Bahraichi). Also see: https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/rustam-o-sohrab-agha-hashr-kashmiri-ebooks

Rustam was a celebrated wrestler who was immortalized in the Iranian epic Shahnameh by Firdowsi. It is said that his birth was a particularly difficult one for his mother called Rudaba. As his father worried that she might die due to the size of the baby, he summoned the mythical flying creature, Simurgh, who taught him how to perform a caesarean section. Later, Rustam was trained in arms by his father who was an Iranian King skilled at warfare. According to a legend, Rustam killed a mad elephant with one blow and was able to tame a mad horse that later became his favourite one and served him in many adventures. Firdowsi wrote in his epic that Rustam had to go through seven stages to save Kai Kavuss, the Shah of Iran, who had been captured by the Daevas, the “false Gods”. The seven stages are known as the Haft Khan-e-Rustam.

In the first stage, Rustam’s horse killed the lion that attacked him while he was sleeping. In the second stage, he wished to quench his thirst in a desert and followed a sheep to reach a nearby fountain of water. As he proceeded in the forest in third stage, his horse spotted a dragon and neighed loudly to wake him up from sleep. Rustam failed to see the dragon at first due to darkness but when he saw, he killed it. In the fourth stage, he encountered an evil sorceress and killed her also. In the fifth stage, he proceeded to kill the main demon after conquering his champion, Olad. In the sixth stage, he saved Kai Kavuss who had been rendered sightless due to the sorcery of the demons. In the seventh and the final stage, he faced the White Demon who was the chief of the Daevas. It is said that the Shah’s blindness was cured using the blood of the White Demon’s heart.

Once Rustam entered the Kingdom of Samangan tracking his lost horse where he stayed as the King’s guest for a night. The King’s daughter, Tahmina, had heard about Rustam’s extraordinary strength and bravery. She had been totally enamoured by him even without meeting him ever and had relinquished the luxuries of the world in pining for him all the time. Finding it a great opportunity to realise her dream, she entered Rustam’s chamber at night and asked him for a child. Rustam obliged her and gifted her with a jewel for the new-born saying that if she gave birth to a daughter, the jewel would have to be braided in her hair but if there was a son, the jewel would be given to him as a talisman for his safety. Tahmina was blessed with a son who was named Sohrab. Years later, in the battle of Iran and Turan, the father and the son, unaware of each other, fought from opposite sides. The Turan army surrendered before the mighty Rustam but sent its famed wrestler Sohrab to face him finally. Ignorant of their relationship with each other, they fought a long and tough battle which culminated in Sohrab’s death. As Rustam stabbed his son in the heart, he saw the talisman he had given years ago to Tehmina but, tragically enough, it was too late to discover this.

Reference: Takht nasheenon ka kya rishta tahzeeb-o-aadaab ke saath/Ye jab chahein jang kara dein Rustam aur Sohrab ke saath (Rahbar Jaunpuri), Hamaari jur’aton ki daad dena/Magar ab kya karein Rustam naheen hai (Shauq Bahraichi). Also see: https://www.rekhta.org/ebooks/rustam-o-sohrab-agha-hashr-kashmiri-ebooks