the end of Guru Gobind Singh's Chrittaropākhyān, the 405th chrittar [tale] with 405 verses, a battle story of Mahākāl, the one with the Sword-Standard [asdhuj/kharagket]. Mahākāl destroys the demons & their offspring notably the Pattans and Mughals. The battle between Mahākāl and the demon Swās Bīraj is so intense, Brahma out of fear jumps and hides in his lotus, Vishnu dives into the ocean, Shiva takes the form of an ascetic and hides in the forest while Kartikey takes the form of a third-gender person to avoid fighting. The main demon Mahākāl is fighting named Swās Bīraj creates new demons from his breath, blood and guts, while Mahākāl's sweat drops to earth producing bards who sing Karkhā [battle ballads] ever increasing Mahākāl's desire for warfare. At one point Mahākāl speaks the word 'I am' [ਹੁਅੰ], i.e. ego, towards the demons which sprouted diseases within their mind and body. Guru Gobind Singh then writes, "for the pleasure of practitioners of Ayurveda I will recite an extended list of diseases" A beautiful line describing the Devtas performing a supplication to Mahākal: ਸਭ ਜਗ ਕਹ ਇਹ ਬਿਧਿ ਭਰਮਾਯਾ ॥ "You have deluded the entire world in this way ਆਪੇ ਏਕ ਅਨੇਕ ਦਿਖਾਯਾ ॥੯੫॥ By showing yourself in multiplicity, but you yourself are only One" After Mahākāl destroys Swās Bīraj the author then writes this Kabiobach Benti Chaupai, Supplication in the Poet's Words. Its interesting that this supplication uses the same terminology for the Divine, mixing masculine with feminine words like Asdhuj, Mahākāl, Jagmātā, Kālkā etc. ![[mahakal4.jpeg]] [[Dasam Guru Granth Sahib/Dasam]]