Nanak, the bard of True Lord,
beheld the brutal butchery
wreaked by Babar’s band
who dashed from Kabul
to sack and seize Hindustan.

The dead and dying lay around
Bhai Lalo’s town Eminabad
innocent kids, women and men
bereft of right to life and honor
ignored by the Lodi ruler.

Nanak, the minstrel of God,
bemoaned their plight thus:
O Creator, you are of all!
If the mighty fight an equal foe
no anguish will I feel.

If a fierce tiger mauls the herd
its protector is to blame
So much carnage is here
don’t you feel the pain, O God,
on hearing the victims’ wail?

This moment of compassion
bore the concept of Kirpan,
a power to shield the weak
to fight the unfair might
and guard every human right.

(13.05.2004)