Sarmad (Persian: سرمد) was a Persian mystic, poet and saint in India of Jewish and Armenian origin during the 17th century. He arrived in India from a Jewish, Persian-speaking Armenian merchant family, only to renounce his religion and adopt Islam, which he allegedly later renounced in favor of Hinduism. Sarmad was known for espousing and ridiculing the major religions of his day, but also wrote beautiful religious poetry in the form of quatrains in Arabic and Persian. He had an excellent command of both Persian and Arabic, essential for his work as a merchant. Hearing that precious items and works of art were being purchased in India at high prices, Sarmad gathered together his wares and traveled to India where he intended to sell them. Near the end of this journey, he fell in love with a