ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>KH&#256LS&#256 MAHIM&#256</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279<i><u>KH</u>&#256LS&#256 MAHIM&#256</i>, literally praise of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257, is a short poem by Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh inserted at the end of the thirty-three Savaiyye in the <i>Dasam Granth</i>. The language is Braj Bh&#257&#7779&#257, i.e. medieval Hindi of the Mathur&#257-&#256gr&#257 region. The setting is provided by an incident which occurred during a D&#299v&#257l&#299 feast Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh gave at Anandpur. On that occasion the high-caste Pa&#7751&#7693it Kesho was inivited to eat after the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 had feasted. Kesho felt slighted for, as a Br&#257hma&#7751, he should have taken precedence over all others. Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh uttered this hymn exalting the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;I have won my battles through the favour of my Sikhs;</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Through their favour have I been able to dispense largesse.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Through their favour my troubles have receded,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;And through their favour my prosperity expanded.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It is through their favour that I acquired knowledge.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Through their favour I subdued my enemies,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Through their favour am I exalted,</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There are, else, millions of such humble persons as me.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Let my body, my mind, my head, my wealth, and all that is mine</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Be dedicated to their service.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As in the <i>hukamn&#257m&#257s</i>, in this poem also we see the deep fellow feeling that existed between Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh and his <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1">Ashta, DharamPal, <i>The Poetry of the Dasam Granth</i>. Delhi, 1959<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">C. H. Loehlin<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>