On the Upanishads Here are two verses from the Chhandogya Upanishad, a text composed in Sanskrit c. sixth century BCE:
The Nature of the Self
This self of mine within the heart, is smaller than paddy or barley or mustard or millet or the kernel of a seed of millet. This self of mine within the heart is greater than the earth, greater than the intermediate space, greater than heaven, greater than these worlds.
The True Sacrifice
This one (the wind) that blows, this is surely a sacrifice. . . . While moving, it sanctifies all this; therefore it is indeed a sacrifice.
Read the following source carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Amir Khusrau and the Qaul Amir Khusrau (1253–1325), the great poet, musician and disciple of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, gave a unique form to the Chishti ‘sama’ by introducing the qual (Arabic word meaning “saying”), a hymn sung at the opening or closing of qawwali. This was followed by sufi poetry in Persian, Hindavi or Urdu, and sometimes using words from all of these languages. Qawwals (those who sing these songs) at the shrine of Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya always start their recital with the qual. Today qawwali is performed in shrines all over the subcontinent.