7-46 The Battle Continues

Lalla Beg’s sons were standing next to him.  They spoke out in anger: “let’s not back down now.  Let’s go on ahead with 10,000 men.  They will continue the battle all night.  They will stop the Sikhs.  The enemy will see the empty battlefield and charge on hard.  We should have the 10,000 men fight all night.  We will send the whole army in the morning.  We will charge just once, with full strength, in the morning.  We will catch the Guru and kill him.  We will take the Badshah’s horses back to the Badshah.  If you don’t send the regiment now and keep everyone here, the enemy will gather and get rest.  We will keep them tired all night and kill the enemy that has killed our men.”  Lalla Beg heard his sons and sent 10,000 men to the battle with strong generals.  He said to the generals: “take this regiment and hold the enemy all night long.  Don’t let the enemy come forward.  It is really dark and we started the fight right now.  We will have to continue.  We will catch the Guru in the morning.  Make sure you don’t kill each other.” 

The soldiers said to their generals: “it is really cold.  Our bodies are frozen from the cold.  This is bad.  Khuddah was not on our side.  We are tired, hungry and really cold.  How will we fight?  Our hands are numb from the cold.  Half of the army has died on the battlefield.  Nothing was accomplished by them.  The enemy is warming themselves up with fire and killing our people.  Whoever will go now, will not succeed.  The enemy will come and kill us.”  The Turks spoke like this but it was ignored by their generals.  The generals had eaten and were warm.  They were wearing Posteens.  The generals gave the orders for the charge.  There was a lot of noise as the 10,000 men charged ahead.  Rifles were fired from both sides. 

Guru ji heard the noise from the charge.  Baba Bidhi Chand ji folded his hands and said: “there is a loud noise.  Looks like another regiment has come.  Many men seem to have come.  They seem to be more in numbers.  They are yelling.”  Guru ji sent another 1,000 men to the battlefield.  The Nagaras were sounded.  The Sikhs were eager to fight.  They were waiting for their orders to fight.  They tied their Kumerkassas.  They were warm from sitting around the fire.  Their rifles were already loaded.  They went to kill the enemy.  They were eager to fight.  Guru ji had to keep these men back as they wanted to go so badly.  The warriors said to each other: “we will now fulfill our wishes.”  They jumped onto their horses and rode them.  They made their horses jump as they charged.  The Sikhs fired 1,000 rifles at once.

Bhai Jodh Rai ji called for Pandit Jatti Malik ji and said: “we need a new strategy that will kill the Turks.  When they come close, we will kill them.  Make 1,000 men fight at the front.  The rest should go to the back so they can’t be seen.  We will attack from behind.  Tell your regiment to stay together.  Let’s split in 2 regiments.  One will face the frontline and the other will slap the enemy from the back.  The Turks should stay away.  The fools will fight each other and die.  They won’t be able to see in the dark.  They will kill their own friends.”  Pandi Jatti Malik ji said: “alright.  We will send the 1,000 men to the front.”

Bhai Jatti Malik ji said to his regiment: “kill the enemy at the frontline.  They should not leave here alive.  Fire your rifles.”  The Sikhs loaded their rifles with gunpowder and bullets.  They rammed the barrels with the ramrods.  They aimed and fired.  They killed many Turks in this way.

It was now around 2:30 am and Guru ji bathed.  Guru ji did his Nitnem.  He wore his battle clothes again with chainmail.  He wore two sharp swords in his Gatras.  His quiver had strands of pearls hanging from it.  He filled it with fierce arrows.  He tied the quiver to his shoulder.  His shield was heavy.  Each boss was 5 Sers in weight on the shield.  He tied that to his shoulders.  Guru ji got ready for war.  He was ready to kill the Turks. 

Bhai Jodh Rai ji took his regiment and went on ahead to go behind the enemy.  1,000 men fired at the enemy from the back.  They entered the enemy lines and cut them to pieces.  It was dark.  The Sikhs quickly left.  The Turks couldn’t understand how the Sikhs came from the back.  Bhai Jatti Malik ji’s regiment was fighting form the front.  The Turks were confused.  They didn’t know where the Guru’s Dhera was.  They didn’t know where their own people were.  The Sikhs cut the Turks heads and limbs.  Some arms were cut, some thighs were cut.  The swords drank blood.  Some Turks were sliced in two.  Some were cut with their horses.  Heads were rolling.  It was a fierce battle.  The enemy was cut to pieces.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji’s regiment finished half of the enemy.  They left the battle.  The enemy couldn’t recognize their own.  The dust flew.  The enemy started fighting each other.  The Khandas swung.  The enemy was sliced by their own.  There was a lot of noise.  Many tried to run away.  Some came straight to the Guru’s army and were killed.  They would get scared and try to run.  Some were shot and some were cut.  Death made the Turks blind.  They got scared and died.  They killed each other.  This was a bad night for the Turks.  It was like the widow’s first night.  Many horses and Turks were injured and yelling in pain.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji’s strategy worked.  The 10,000 were dying fast.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji stood on the side to watch.  He told his men not to fight and just watch.  The enemy heard the noise and went crazy.  Fathers killed their own sons and sons killed their own fathers.  It was cold.  The Turks were tired.  The Turks had no patience.  It was a painful night for them.  The warriors died.  The ones that survived were dead-men walking.  The few men that remained, they were scared.  They lost their confidence of winning.  They dropped their weapons and couldn’t stay stable.  They saw death everywhere.  Lalla Beg took on a difficult task.  He didn’t use his wisdom.  He lost his common sense in front of the Guru’s Maya.  The Turks were frozen from the cold.  The weapons fell from their hands by themselves.  They were scared and cold.  This made them shiver.  Their energy and morale were gone.  They threw their weapons and became helpless.  Some lost their Pugris.  Some were swaying by their injuries.  The brave ones lost their lives.  They died fighting at the front.  They went to heaven and received joy. 

Many vultures and jackals came to eat the flesh of the dead.  The injured yelled in pain.  Some were without clothes.  Many lost their courage and patience.  The anger of the Guru killed the Turks.  The Turks were in a bad state.  They were in trouble.  Who can compare to the Guru master.  Death came to the Turks quickly.  They couldn’t fight or run away.  They were blocked from every direction.  They laid lifeless on the ground.  The regiment was destroyed.  The sun was about to come up.  The night was almost over.  Lalla Beg lost 25,000 men.  The enemy was in a bad state.  Some Turks survived by running away.  Guru Hargobind Sahib ji got up with the first light of day.  He mounted his horse and was going to war.

7-47 The Battle During the Day

As many Turks fought and killed each other, the sun came up.  Only 10,000 soldiers remained.  25,000 had died in pain by fighting each other.  They died in the night.  Just as the stars disappeared, so did the enemy.  They had come with force but they were destroyed.  They had slept the unending slumber.  They were tired from the long journey.  It was as if they were resting now.  Horses were piled upon horses.  Bodies were piled upon bodies.  Weapons and clothes were scattered all over the ground.  They looked like seeds on a field.

Lalla Beg saw his army in the morning light.  Few men remained.  Most of his army had been wiped out.  His men lost their confidence.  Lalla Beg got news of his officers dying.  He got news every minute.  Many regiments were destroyed.  Many of his generals had died.  One after the other, the messengers came to give him the bad news.  He was at the back.  He was shocked to see how his army was wiped out.  He thought to himself in grief: “how did so many of my men die?”  He was worried.  He went to see the field.  His nephew, Kabil Beg said to him: “Mamma ji, what are you looking at now?  You need to make a new strategy.  The enemy may come and kill us.  The dead have gone.  They won’t come back now.  Think about the ones that are alive.  The wise people think of the future, not the past.  We came to fight.  Not to eat food.  The result of the battle is to kill or be killed.  What are you worried about?”  Lalla Beg heard this and said: “why aren’t you thinking about this: we have only the fourth of the army we brought?  How will we win now with such few men?  We couldn’t figure out the enemy.  We were hasty in our attack.  The Guru’s army came to the front and attacked in the dark.  We should have figured out where the Guru’s fort/camp was.  Our people seemed to have killed themselves in the dark.”  Shamash Beg and Kasim were standing by.  Kumber Beg said: “what shall we do?  The soldiers died with foolishness.  They were all tired and hungry.  They were frozen.  Why did you make them fight?  The Sikhs were warm and well-fed.  They were rested.  They got up and fired at us.  They killed our men.  I tried hard but I failed.  It was difficult to even fire once.  The Sikhs killed our people.  Some couldn’t hold their swords.  The Sikhs cut our men with their swords.  They caused chaos.  The battle was bad.  The darkness didn’t help.  Our people killed each other.”  Kumber Beg was getting mad at his brother, Lalla Beg.  Kumber Beg continued: “you can’t win without a strategy.  It’s warmer now.  The sun’s up.  We should be able to kill the enemy now.  The cold and darkness are gone now.  We can’t do anything about the hunger and fatigue though.  The enemy is standing over our heads still.  We can’t go back.  Sound the Nagaras and attack the enemy.  The Sikhs are coming.”  Lalla Beg agreed and said: “yes, we have no other choice.  The enemy will kill us.” 

Lalla Beg sounded the charge.  Lalla Beg decided to lead and fight Guru Hargobind Sahib ji himself.  The 5 generals all went to battle together.  Hundreds of Nagaras sounded at once.  Lalla Beg came to the battlefield and saw his dead soldiers.  The ground was red.  For miles on end, there were bodies upon bodies.  Rivers of blood flowed and made the mud.  It was as though the earth was wearing a red chunni.  The vultures and scavengers were eating the flesh of the dead.  Crows, jackals and vultures came to eat flesh.  The vultures shrieked as they ate.  It was as though they were thanking and blessing Guru Hargobind Sahib ji for feeding them.  Lalla Beg was shocked to see the destruction of his men.  He went pale.  He said: “Khuddah!  What has happened?  So many of my men have died!”

Bhai Jodh Rai ji was speaking to Bhai Jatti Malik ji and Bhai Salaim Shah ji as the Turks came, firing their guns: “a big regiment of the Turks has come now.”  The Sikhs aimed their rifles at the enemy.  They saw the expensive clothes, jewellery and weapons of the officers.  They noticed that the seniors had come.  A messenger went to tell Guru Hargobind Sahib ji and said: “Maharaj!  A big regiment of the Turks has come.  The whole army is attacking.  Bhai Jodh Shah ji and Bhai Jatti Malik ji are fighting with courage.  Only a fourth of the army remains.  The rest have died.  There are dead bodies laying on the ground for miles.  There is light now so we can see how many have been killed.  Only you know how they were all killed.  There are horses upon horses; bodies upon bodies.  The Nagaras are sounding again.  Lalla Beg saw his dead men.  He is mad now.”  Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was sitting on top of Suhaila.  He heard this and had the Nagaras sounded.  The Sikhs got ready to fight on the battlefield.  Guru ji instructed his horse to go forward.  Guru ji came to Bhai Jodh Shah ji, where the fight was in progress.  Guru ji called Hassan Khan, the spy, and said: “which one is Lalla Beg, that has come to fight us?”  Hassan Khan recognized everyone.  He saw the different battle standards of the different regiments.  He saw Lalla Beg’s battle standards and said: “Prabhoo ji, look!  The one that is wearing the Posteen; the golden helmet; the flag with the Zarri; sitting on the red horse; that is Lalla Beg.  He is speaking to his people.  He seems to be asking about you.  That is the proud Lalla Beg that you see there.  On his left is his brother, Kumber Beg, with the black Turki horse.  His horse is fast.  He is Lalla Beg’s younger brother.  He calls himself the best warrior of Kabul.  He knows many battle strategies.  He has won many battles.  On the right, with the green horse, is Kabil Beg.  He is really strong.  He is Lalla Beg’s nephew, from his sister.  He has learnt Shastervidya from many great teachers.  He is great with a sword and shield.  He has won many wars.  Lalla Beg is his Mamma.  He stays with him.  He can erase the print on a coin with his hand.  If he fights, he will kill hundreds.  Kill him first.  The Sikhs will survive then.  Lalla Beg’s two sons are there as well.  One is Kasim Beg and the other is Shamash Beg.  Shamash Beg holds a Tegha in his hand there.  They are determined to fight you.  They have entered the mouth of death.  They won’t survive.  Their army stands at a distance.  25,000 men of theirs have died.  Only a fourth of the army remains.  Kill them as well.  I have understood that no one can defeat you as you have Allah’s powers.  Kill them like a swarm of insects.  They are upset now as their men have died.  Kill them all now.”  Guru ji heard Hassan Khan and laughed.  Guru ji took his bow and mounted a Khappra arrow on it.  Guru ji pulled the arrow and released it.  The arrow flew the distance and hit the golden helmet of Lalla Beg, which fell to the ground.  When Lalla Beg was bare-headed, the Turks all got anxious and began to move back.  They saw the helmet with the arrow sticking out through both ends.  The arrow was stuck into the ground.  That arrow could have easily gone into the head of Lalla Beg but Guru Hargobind Sahib ji was only messing around with him. 

7-48 The Day Battle Continues

There was a Pugri tied around the helmet.  The Pugri came off with the golden helmet of Lalla Beg.  Lalla Beg’s head was bare and round.  Everyone was shocked to see this.  The Turks got scared and began to move around.  They moved back.  Lalla Beg was humiliated as his Pugri fell off.  He took his Kumerkassa and quickly covered his head with it.  He wrapped his head with the cloth, crookedly and to one side.  He grabbed the reins of his horse, as the son of a Mughal was saved.  His eyes were red from anger.  He raised his arm and said: “why aren’t we attacking and killing the Sikhs?  You are 10,000.  You should all fire and then attack with your Khandas.  Chop their heads off!”  The Mughals and Pathaans were angry, hearing Lalla Beg.  Their heads were big, like watermelons.  Their hair was cut small.  They picked up their weapons.  Their Pugris were tied in the Pathani way.  They would easily fall off when they fought.  They had a plume sticking out of their Pugris, lined with Zarri.  The other side of the Pugri would hang off their back.  They would eat a lot of meat.  They drank a lot of alcohol.  They were very tall and wide.  Their skin was fair.  The generals wore white clothes.  Some had bows, some had swords and some held Khandas.  They had Kataars and Khanjars in their Kumerkassas.  They spoke Pashto to each other.  They charged and attacked the Sikhs.  It was a great army.  The Mughal and Pathaans were great warriors.  They came showering arrows and bullets.  They yelled: “kill them!” 

Satguru ji called Bhai Jodh Shah ji quickly.  He said: “take half of the army and go the other way.  I will fight on the frontline and stop the charge.  I will keep 2,000 men and you should take 2,000 towards the south.”  Bhai Jodh Rai ji said: “your radiance has risen like the sun.  They darkness of the Turks is gone.  You are the lion and the Turks are like deer.  How will they fight you?  Even an elephant can’t face a lion.”  He bowed to Guru ji and took about 1,900 men.  He moved to the side and attacked from the south.

As Bhai Jodh Rai ji’s regiment approached the Turk army, their eyes were red with anger.  They released bullets and arrows.  There was chaos.  The warriors fought each other.  They had patience.  The arrows flew.  The bullets flew.  The horses faced each other.  It was a lot of noise.  They yelled” “kill them!”  Some were hit with spears.  They fell to the ground.  Some swung their swords.  Some swung their Saangs.  The arrows looked like cobras, attacking the bodies.  The arrows were like snakes.  They went through the bodies.  The warriors fell, their puranas leaving them.  Bullets were fired.  Men died.  Horses were turned.  Khandas sliced the bodies.  The battle was fierce.  Heads rolled.  Men laid on the ground.  Some lost their hands with the strike of a sharp sword.  Some lost their legs.  Some got hit in the face with a Khanda, ripping it to pieces.  They were cut to pieces.  Some were shaking in fear.  The warriors fought each other.  They were drenched in Bir Ras.  Their clothes were red with blood.  The warriors fought.  The Nagaras were playing.  The other instruments played.  The warriors were pumped.  They fought each other.  They didn’t move back.  The rifles were fired.  The bullets flew and hit others in the foreheads, bursting the head like a pot.  Arms were cut.  The arms looked like spatulas.  The fat from the brain was all over the floor.  It was like curry and the arms looked like spoons and spatulas.  The Bhoots and Prayts came, as the servers.  It was like a kitchen.  Some scavengers were eating.  The Bhoots ate.  The skulls were picked up by the Kaljognis.  They drank the blood and pulled the intestines from the guts.  The Prayts wore them around their necks like garlands.  The Kaljognis ate flesh and burped.  They danced.  The vultures ate the flesh.  The Birs ate flesh.  The Kaljognis were happy drinking the blood of the warriors in their skulls.  They belched in joy.

The fairies from heaven came with beautiful eyes.  They wanted to marry the brave warriors who died fighting.  The fairies competed with each other to take their husbands.  They took them in their vessels.  They respected them and sang songs for them.  They tried to make them happy.  They embraced the souls of the warriors with joy.  It gave them a lot of happiness.  Their faces were beautiful like the moon.  They spoke to them with great affection.  They had deep dimples in their cheeks.  Their voices were like flowers.  They were the mirror of Kama.  It was like the Sarovar of Amrit.  Their eyes were like a lake; like the eyes of a fawn.  They had black surma, eyeliner, in their eyes.  Their eyes were decorated nicely.  Their eyes danced like the lotus flower.  They pleased the warriors.  They walked around the soldiers.  The soldiers gave their heads in exchange for being with theses fairies of heaven. 

The sharp arrows were flying on the battlefield.  They pierced the mighty warriors.  Guru ji attacked.  The Sikhs attacked.  Guru ji had his 9 Tonka (around 225 kg pull force) bow.  It was a strong bow.  Nobody else could string it.  Guru ji released arrows from it.  He pierced the chests of the Turks.  Whoever came in front of him, died.  Whoever was hit, the arrow went right through them and went through a second, third, fourth and a fifth.  In this way, Guru ji killed many.  His arrows were sharp.  He killed many Turks.  The arrows were like snakes flying.  Guru ji was in Bir Ras.  He continuously released arrows with agility.  Many Turks fell.  They yelled out in pain.  They died.  Their bodies laid out flat on the ground.  Their legs were spread out wide.  Guru ji’s arrows made rivers of blood.  The arrows went through organs.  The Turks died and mixed into the dust.  They went to the Jumms.  Guru ji’s eyes were red.  He yelled: “kill the enemy!  Destroy their wish of victory.  Don’t let them go!  They should never think of coming back.  Not one should return to Shah Jahan.”  The Sikhs heard this.  It was like they received Guru ji’s power.  They were alert.  They pulled their Khandas, two-edged.  They made their horses jump and cut the enemy.  They didn’t let anyone leave.  They kept them on the field.

Lalla Beg saw the bad state of his army.  He wanted to attack and take Guru ji.  He came to the front.  He charged hard.  The Nagaras sounded.  The generals all came.  Guru ji moved his horse.  He released many arrows.  He moved like lightening.  He killed 7 at a time.  The horses were without riders, that had Zarri saddles.  They wore decorations.  The horses neighed.  The field was wide.  A lot were killed.  Many fell, hit with weapons.  They did not back down.  Both sides had brave warriors.  They lost their lives, while standing.  The blood made the clothes red.  The white clothes were red.  They fought in anger.  There was chaos.  Some lost their arms.  Some lost their feet.  Some lost their heads.  Guru ji fought.  The battle was fierce.  Bhai Jodh Shah ji came with anger from the south.  He had Khandas swinging.  They cut the heads of the Turks.  They were cut to pieces.  They lost their limbs.  Many bullets flew.  The hands of the warriors swelled up and got stuck into the hilts of the swords.  Many enemies died.  The Turks were attacked form the north and the south.  It was a fierce battle.  The Turks ran like fools.  They couldn’t understand what to do.  Which side should they fight on?  They didn’t know.  A fierce battle raged on.  Blood mixed into the soil.  It was red mud.  The horses ran and splashed the blood on the ground.  Lalla Beg attacked hard.  His men were surrounded.  Guru ji did not let anyone go forward.  Nobody moved back.  The charge was fierce.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji caused chaos from the south.  The enemy were killed.  Guru ji released arrows.  He cleaned out the men where he shot his arrows.  The men would move away from the path of the arrow.  They would die if they were hit with Guru ji’s arrows.  Many were cut.  The limbs were cut.  They fell of their horses.  The ground was scary. 

Kavi Santokh Singh ji says: “how can I describe this?  The battle was fierce.  The Turks were being killed.  They finally began to move back.  They were helpless.  1,000 men stabilized themselves.  9,000 Turks were either killed or injured.  The Sikhs had lost 1,000 men.  Guru ji released them from the cycle of birth and death.  They were immerged into the Guru’s light.  They went to Sach Khand.  The pride of the Turks was dead.  Guru ji destroyed them.  The Satguru was omnipotent.  He would do as he wished.” 

7-49 Kabil Beg Dies

Fighting with the swords, the warriors got tired.  The horses were tired.  It was a fierce battle.  Thousands of unsheathed swords laid on the ground.  They were coloured red.  Many had broken by striking shields.  The hilts were separated from the blade.  They did not look nice anymore.  Rifles lay broken as well.  The barrels were separated.  Some rifles had gold work on them.  The rifles were without warriors to fire them.  Bodies were piled upon bodies on the field.  It was like a wall propped up.  Limbs were cut.  34,000 Turks died.  1,000 Sikhs died.  It was about 8 am now.  The fight had been on for 9 hours now.  It was a fierce battle.  When the battle started, it was just before midnight.  The warriors lay dead.  They looked like they were sleeping, resting form the exhaustion.  The Nagaras and horses lay on the ground.  The Nagarchis died with the sticks in their heads.  Like a wooden puppet show, the puppeteer leaves the wooden puppets on the ground after the show; that’s how it looked with the warriors on the ground.  Some men had fainted from the smell of the blood.  Some eyes were still open, looking scary.  Their mouths were left open, like an Ukhli pot.  Many mixed into the dust.  The blood made mud.  The injured got killed by being trampled by the horses.

The Sikhs were on one side.  The Nagaras were sounded.  Lalla Beg was on the other side with his men.  He was depressed after losing so many men.  He didn’t see his big army anymore.  He regretted this.  He thought to himself: “this was not a battle.  This was “Qayamat” (Judgement Day).  Nothing was accomplished and my army is finished.  I can see the Guru’s army standing.  He has more men than me now.  I only have the generals.  My army is smaller.  I will have to fight and give my life.  My men have died.  We couldn’t catch the Guru, nor kill him.  He didn’t run away either.  He charged us and killed my men.  He didn’t leave the field.  The Sikhs killed us.”  Kabil Beg saw his Mamma’s bad state and tried to give him hope: “there is no use regretting this now.  If we back down now, how will we face the Badshah?  We took the sword in the Emperor’s court and told him that we will bring the horses back.  We were supposed to arrest the Guru or kill him.  This was his command.  Our men were killed without cause.  We couldn’t accomplish anything.  I will go alone now.  I will challenge the Guru and fight him.  He will come to fight me.  I have heard that he is very brave.  He respects other brave warriors.  He will come when I challenge him.  I will fight him one-on-one.  His praise is high, like the moon, in the world.  I will fight him.  I will capture him or kill him.  You know that I am very strong.  No one is stronger than me.  You have seen me fight.”  Kabil Beg got ready to go to war.  Kumber Beg said to Kabil Beg: “nephew, you don’t know the power of the Guru.  I have heard from many experienced warriors that the Guru is a great warrior.  I see you as my son.  Don’t be proud.  Don’t see your enemy as weak.  Stay alert.  Use strategy.  Kill the Guru but protect yourself from his strikes.  Don’t be lazy.  Don’t be scared.  He his strong like you.  I have heard about the Peer Guru Hargobind Sahib in this way.  Go!  May Khuddah bless you.  Only you can do this.”

Some bullets were fired.  Kabil Beg looked at the field.  His horse was strong.  Kabil Beg rode his horse towards Guru ji.  Hassan Khan was asked by Guru ji: “who is this, coming on his horse?  He wants to come towards me.  He wants to show his cleverness.  He is making his horse dance.”  Hassan Beg said: “this is Kabil Beg, a great warrior.  He is strong.  Lalla Beg is his Mamma.  He said he wanted to fight you in Lahore.  He wants to fight you alone.  He has mentioned this many times.  He wants to capture you.  He is proud of his strength.  He can pick up a man and horse, together.  He knows battle strategies.  He has learned Shastervidya form experts.  He practices all day long.  He exercises a lot.  He has heard your praises.  He is looking for you.  That’s why he rides slow now.”  As Hassan Khan spoke, Kabil Beg came closer.  Kabil Beg yelled out: “listen Guru!  Let’s not have other warriors die uselessly.  Come fight me!  You are the Peer of the Hindus.  You fulfill wishes.  I ask for a battle from you.  I wish to fight you.  I would love to fight you.  Fulfill my wish.  Come and fight me one-on-one.  Stop your warriors from fighting.  We will fight alone.  Till our battle doesn’t end, nobody should fire bullets.  Nobody should take sides.”  Guru Hargobind Sahib ji heard the enemy’s challenge and gave him a brave warrior’s response: “I am ready to fight you.  I wish to kill all of the Turks.  None of the enemy is coming and using their strength.  I wanted to fight with a brave warrior.  Your people ran away, seeing me.  Nobody had the courage to face me.  They were shy, like a newlywed bride.  Your weapons are only for show.  Do your people know how to use them?  Your men didn’t know how to use them.  It’s great that you are a brave warrior.  You are the only man.  You came to fulfill my wish.  Come and fulfill your wish.”  Kabil Beg was happy to hear this.  He analysed that Guru ji was a brave warrior.  He said to Guru ji: “let’s come off our horses and fight with a sword and a shield.”  The great warrior Guru got off his horse.  He took a heavy shield in his left hand.  He was eager to fight.  He took out his Tegha.  Kabil Beg came off his horse.  The men stopped fighting and watched the two great warriors approaching each other.  Guru ji said: “nobody will fire.”  Lalla Beg was watching on.  He yelled out: “great!  Win the Guru!”  He was proud of his nephew.  He knew that he was the best swordsman.  He wanted Kabil Beg to be fast.  He thought to himself: “this is good that the Guru will face my nephew.  He won’t give him a chance to strike.”  He yelled again: “Kabil Beg!  The strength in your arms is our only hope.  There is no other hope.” 

Bhai Jodh Shah ji and other Sikhs were standing and watching.  Baba Bidhi Chand ji watched.  They all had trust in their Guru.  They knew that he will kill Kabil Beg.  They said: “he won’t last long in front of Guru ji.  It’s like a carefree elephant is going to face a lion.  It’s like a sparrow facing the Garud.  He wants to be equal to Guru ji.  He is too proud.”  The warriors on both sides watched on. 

Guru ji was standing in front of Kabil Beg.  They moved around in a circle to see an opportunity to strike.  They changed their stances.  They jumped like lions and swung their swords, one after the other.  All the strikes were blocked by both.  They looked into each other’s eyes.  Guru ji used his cleverness to strike, with a shield and sword in his hands.  He would come in front and then on each other’s side.  They struck and blocked.  They both jumped and changed stances.  Guru ji roared: “strike!  I don’t want you to regret not getting a chance.  You won’t be able to survive my strike.  Blood will flow from your massive body and mix into the earth.”  Kabil Beg jumped and swung his sword with agility.  Guru ji jumped so Kabil Beg missed.  Kabil Beg got angry at his missed strike.  He came closer and struck again.  Guru ji jumped like an artist, blocking Kabil Beg’s second strike on his shield.  Guru ji swung his sword as soon as Kabil Beg’s strike was blocked.  Kabil Beg ducked quickly.  Guru ji’s strike went over Kabil Beg’s head.  Kabil Beg swung a third time.  His sharp sword swung and Guru ji jumped.  The tip of the sword sliced Guru ji on top of his knee, cutting his Jamma.  A little skin was cut and blood flowed out.  Guru ji’s pajama get drenched with blood.  Guru ji saw this and got angry.  He roared and pounced like a lion.  His sword shined like lightening, seen by everyone.  He pressed his shield forward.  Kabil Beg moved back.  Lalla Beg yelled out: “great work!  Kill the Guru, or catch him!”  Lalla Beg did not know that Guru ji was just playing with the child.  He was just acting like a human.  He could have killed him a long time again.  Kabil Beg showed agility and came close to Guru ji.  He wanted to strike like his first and slice Guru ji in two.  He saw an opportunity and swung his sword.  Everyone was watching.  Guru ji did not go back.  Instead, he fearlessly went ahead and put his shield against Kabil Beg’s shield and made his shield go up.  Kabil Beg tried to save himself but failed.  Guru ji’s Tegha came with force.  It hit Kabil Beg in the shoulder and sliced him to his waist.  It was the Janyow-cut strike.  Kabil Beg split in two.  He fell to the ground.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji and other Sikhs shouted out Jaikaras.  They saw Guru ji’s fight and became inspired.  They attacked the enemy and started the battle again. 

7-50 Kumber Beg Dies

The fight with Kabil Beg was a short one.  He was killed fairly quickly by Guru ji.  The Turk Sardaars saw this and moved back.  They were in a deep shock.  They didn’t expect this result.  They saw Kabil Beg die in front of them.  They felt like a merchant would feel being robbed in the jungle, a merchant being very greedy person, losing its wealth.  Lalla Beg was upset and thought to himself: “the Guru is death himself.  He killed the strong and powerful Kabil Beg.  Who will fight the Guru now?  The Guru has killed many of my men.  I had high hopes for Kabil Beg, but the Guru has sent him to the Jumms.  The Guru has scared us.  Where Kabil Beg would fight, who else can take his place?  Who is that brave?  Who will face the Guru with weapons?”  Lalla Beg was thinking in worry.  Kumber Beg was very patient and brave.  He saw his brother and said to him: “don’t worry.  I will fight a fierce battle.  Just watch me.  I will kill the enemy with my sword.  I will kill many.”  Kumber Beg took 500 men and had the Nagaras played. 

Kumber Beg’s men were filled with enthusiasm, hearing the Nagaras.  Kumber Beg and his men charged with rifles.  They forecasted their defeat and charged with anger.  Guru ji had a small wound on his body which coloured his clothes red from the blood.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji got off his horse and tied a cloth bandage around Guru ji’s leg to stop the bleeding.  Guru ji quickly mounted his horse again.  He didn’t care about the wound.  It didn’t hurt him.  Guru ji saw Kumber Beg attack with 500 of his men.  He had brought the best Pathaans with him.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji folded his hands and said: “please stay here and watch the battle.  Please command me to go and fight.  Let me kill the enemy.  I will take away the radiance of the Turks.”  Guru Hargobind Sahib ji said to Hassan Khan, the spy: “who is this coming now?”  Hassan Khan folded his hands and said: “oh killer of sinners, Peer ji, this is Kumber Beg, coming with speed.  You killed his sister’s son so he is coming to avenge his death with anger.  He is Lalla Beg’s younger brother.  I think he will die now.”  Sri Guru ji gave Bhai Jodh Rai ji the permission to go: “Jodh Rai, you are a great warrior.  You fought with bravery.  Go and kill Kumber Beg.  You will be praised for this.”  Bhai Jodh Rai ji heard Guru ji and was happy.

Bhai Jodh Rai ji took a regiment.  He charged and stopped Kumber Beg in his tracks.  The warriors all fought.  The rifles all fired at once.  Loud popping noises were heard.  The warriors fell to the ground, being hit with bullets.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji and Kumber Beg charged from both sides.  They rode their horses and released arrows at each other’s armies.  They made their horses dance to dodge the arrows.  They pulled the bowstrings to their ear before letting it go.  It made resonating noises as the arrows was released.  They shouted and challenged each other with anger.  The warriors that came ahead were killed.  Kumber Beg and Bhai Jodh Rai ji were both great archers and strong warriors.  Their aim was great.  They killed many men, whom they aimed for.  They pierced many bodies.  They released arrows with agility, one after the other.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji was a match for Kumber Beg.  They charged and pushed each other’s forces.  Kumber Beg made his men go forward.  The battle was fierce.  Metal clashed on metal.  The bullets stopped and the swords came out.  Kumber Beg was angry.  His face was red.  He made his horse dance.  He challenged and made the men fight.  He went ahead, where Bhai Jodh Rai ji was fighting.  There was a shower of arrows.  Many men fell.  It was a fierce charge.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji was angry.  Many of his men had hied.  He couldn’t tolerate this.  His eyes were red.  He saw Kumber Beg.  His servant was holding a spear.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji took the heavy spear, made of faulaad.  He checked the weight and yelled out: “stay there!”  He rode his horse ahead.  He came close to Kumber Beg and lifted his spear.  Kumber Beg did not move.  He stabilized himself and took out his Tegh.  He advanced to fight Bhai Jodh Rai ji.  Kumber Beg’s Talwaar was expensive and made of faulaad.  It would cut another sword.  He wanted to fight the enemy.  He wanted to kill Bhai Jodh Rai ji.  Both charged at each other.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji pushed his spear into Kumber Beg’s chest.  Kumber Beg couldn’t stop it.  The spear came with such force that the front end came out from Kumber Beg’s back.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji pulled the spear out.  The spear was red, dripping with blood.  Kumber Beg’s insides came out.  The mighty Pathaan spun and fell to the ground, losing consciousness.  His sword was still in his hand.  Kumber Beg was killed.  The spear was in the hand of Bhai Jodh Rai ji.  It was red.  Kumber Beg’s body was filled with blood.  The spear was like a red cobra; like a Kaljogni wearing red clothes.  The Kaljognis’ thirst was quenched with Kumber Beg’s blood.  Everyone saw this fight.  Nobody could save the Beg.  They got angry that their general had died.  They charged with force.  Where Kumber Beg fell, his men came and fought.  They wanted to take their general’s dead body.  It was a fierce battle with bullets and arrows.  It rained arrows.  The Turks all came at once.  They wanted to kill Bhai Jodh Rai ji.  They all fought with force.  Many men and horses were killed.  There were a lot of dead bodies on the ground.  The cowards got scared and ran away.  They didn’t come back.  They took their weapons off and threw them away.  The fools acted like cowards on the battlefield.  They started to work labour jobs for a living.  Their bodies shivered from fear.  They got scared, thinking of the dead bodies.  The Battle of Maraaj left a lasting impression of fear in their hearts for the rest of their lives.  They would take deep breaths, thinking of this battle.  The cowards went home to their families and never came back to the court again.  They had seen Guru ji’s fierce battle.

The Sikhs fought.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji’s horse was brave.  It was loyal.  It danced on the field.  He did what his master said.  He saved Bhai Jodh Rai ji from many bullets.  The horse took many bullets.  Many other weapons hit the horse as well.  It finally gave in when it was hit with a spear in its forehead.  It fell and died.  Bhai Jodh Rai ji jumped off his falling horse and stood up on the ground.  Guru ji had Kabil Beg’s horse after Kumber Beg died.  Guru ji saw Bhai Jodh Rai ji on the ground and quickly said to a servant: “take this horse of Kabil Beg and give it to Jodh Rai ji.  It is a fierce battle.  He won’t be able to go on ahead.”  The servant brought the horse to Bhai Jodh Rai ji and said: “get on this horse, quickly.  Guru ji has blessed you.  Think of him and get out of this area.”  Bhai Jodh Rai ji folded his hands and bowed towards Guru ji.  He mounted the horse after bowing to it.  He took his weapons and was really happy.  He released many arrows and killed many Turks.  Many horses of the Sikhs had died.  Many Turks had died.  Their horses were taken by the Sikhs.  The Sikhs mounted the Turks’ horses.  Many horses neighed.  Many horses were without riders.  In this way, men from both sides died.  There were dead bodies for miles.  It was a very scary sight.