Bards/Bhatts in Adi Granth: Bhatt Kirat

Bhatt Kirat, son of Bhikha, besides being a poet, had the privilege of being an enrolled soldier in the army of Guru Hargobind Sahib, the 6 11 Guru. He had attended the celestial grandeur of the Darbars of Guru Ramdas and Guru Arjun Dev and had also enjoyed later on the benevolence of the Master of Miri and Piri, under whose command, he had fought in the battlefield. When it came to the writing of Swaiyas, he chose to eulogise Guru Amardas and Guru Ramdas. There are eight Swaiyas authored by him included in Adi Granth at pages 1395 to 1405. Out of these, four Swaiyas are in praise of Guru Amardas the 3’d Guru and an equal number in praise of the 4t’ Guru. A staunch believer in the house of Gurus, he died fighting under the command of Guru Hargobind Sahib. Extreme humility and complete submission can be observed in the following hymn authored by him.

A confirmed sinner and idiot of the first water,
The poison I take, and refuse the nectar.
For my wife and son, the delusions i take,
Whose love is selfish and passion fake.
The nectar of your congregation, celestial and clean,
Vanquishes the death, whose fear I preen.
Prays_Bhatt Kirat, humble and meek,

Guru Ramdas, your protection, I seek.

Specimen poetry of Bhatt Kirat

God by Himself, manifested into His creation,

He was Formless, before he took to the form of Guru Amardas

And he enlightened the whole world.

The All-pervading Lord, revealed Himself through the Guru.

Whosoever-expressed faith in the Guru, was liberated,

And the secrets of the Lord’s realm were revealed to him.

In the house of Nanak, Lehna was known as Angad,

O, Guru, my only saviour from the endless births and deaths,

I seek your refuge. Please save.the sinner like me. (2-16)
Adi Granth, p. 1395