Page 75 - English Class 08

Prithviraj’s former courtier and friend Chand Bardai came to Ghori’s court composing
poems in his praise. On one hand, he entertained Ghori in the guise of a poet and secured
his place in Muhammad Ghori’s court by composing poems in his praise and on the other

hand, he took every opportunity to meet Prithviraj and urged him to avenge the betrayal
and daily insults.

The two got an opportunity when Ghori announced an archery competition. Chand
Bardai told Ghori that Prithviraj was so skilled in archery that he could aim on the basis of
sound and did not even need to look at his target. Ghori disdained to believe this; the
courtiers guffawed and taunted Chand Bardai. In the spirit of their usual Barbaric acts, they

brought the blind and hapless Prithviraj out to the field. Pressing a bow and arrow into his
hands, they taunted him to take aim.
disdained : rejected mockingly
Chand Bardai told Ghori that this taunting
guffawed : laughed coarsely
would avail nothing, for Prithviraj as king would aural : relating to or received by the ear
not take orders from anyone other than another
king. His ego refused for this but in the spirit of the occasion, Muhammad Ghori agreed to

personally give shooting orders to Prithviraj. Thus, Chand Bardai provided Prithviraj with an
aural indication of where Ghori was seated. He gave Prithviraj one further indication of the
same by composing an ‘on the spot’ composition and reciting the same in Prithviraj’s
hearing. The couplet, composed in language, understood only by Prithviraj went like this:

Char bans, chaubis gaj, angul ashta praman,
Eta pai hai sultan

ab mat chuko hey chauhan.

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