M. G. Gupta

M. G. Gupta, known as Bekas Akbarabadi, was an Indian Urdu poet and research scholar. He wrote several books including Indian mysticism, Sikh Gurus, Saint Kabir, Hindu epics and others. He received Bharat Jyoti Award for his contribution in the field of education and research.

Gupta was born on 29 August 1925 in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh, India. He pursed his Masters of Arts in Political Science. He served as a professor at the Allahabad University where he taught for twenty years, he was a scholar of Persian literature, comparative religion and mysticism. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters by the Allahabad University in 1965. He also served as a registrar of Agra University. He died on 12 December 2011 in Agra.

In 1985 he wrote a book called Bekas Akbarabadi. In 1992 he wrote a book called Indian mysticism. He also wrote books on the Sikh Gurus, Saint Kabir and on the Hindu epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In July 1993, he was awarded the Bharat Jyoti Award for his 'contribution in the field of education and research'. He did English renderings of the six volumes of Rumi's Mathnawi, Diwan-i-Hafiz, and the quatrains of Sarmad Kashani. Mathnawi Rumi (Masnavi) is a famous translation in six volumes written by Gupta and assisted by his son Rajeev Gupta. A collection of his poems entitled, Rahat-i-Ruh was published in 2004.

Gupta wrote and published his celebrated work Sarmad the Saint: Life and Works in 1991. Sarmad was a mystic saint of the highest order and had rejected traditional faiths like Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism and had no use for idol-worship, rituals, canonical laws, scriptures, mosques and temples. He was a lover of the Great Name (Ism-i-Azam), the Real Name (Ism-i-ba-Musamma), and the ‘unstruck melody’ (Saut-i-Sarmadi). Sarmad had never denied the ascension of the Prophet but Aurangzeb’s minions charged him of heresy and committed his judicial murder. This is the subject matter of Book One. In Book Two, the English translation of Sarmad’s 341 quatrains has been rendered with interpretation. These verses constitute the core of mankind’s permanent heritage.

According to A. G. Noorani, Indian Express, 21 June 1992 (New Delhi) “… the first definitive study of Sarmad’s life, and an English translation of original Persian text of all the 341 quatrains by Dr. MG Gupta. He has also translated the legendary Rumi’s classic work, the Mathnawi. Dr. Gupta’s scholarship is evident … (He) traces Sarmad’s life with a wealth of authentic references …”