Abdul Rahim Khankhana or Rahim was the son of Bairam Khan, the caretaker-guardian of Akbar. Soon after Akbar took the reins of Mugal empire, Bairam Khan died in strange circumstances. His camp was trampled upon by the elephants. Mysteriously this had happened before to his camps a few months earlier but that time he had survived. Anyways, Akbar who was in his early 20s, took very attractive widow of Bairam Khan, mother of Rahim, to his harem as his wife. (some have directly blamed Akbar to have inspired the event of Bairam Khan's death)
Rahim, this way a stepson of Akbar, was a very able administrator, and a brilliant poet. Of a Persian stock himself, he had an excellent command over Farsi, but since childhood had learnt Sanskrit and Brajbhasha, and had mastered both. He was a devotee of Krishna, who spent days dwelling in Mathura and Vrindavan. A very rich businessman too, and spent a lot in generous charities at the pilgrim places like Vrindavana.
He is best known for his poetry, and had championed the classical Doha: two-step style of Hindi poetry, while his contemporary Tulsidas can be said to be master of Chaupai style: the four-legged. While some say Rahim and Tulsi were even friends, and met several times, that although not recorded is not impossible.
Anyways there is recorded one short correspondence between the two. Tulsidas was traveling to Vrindavan when he noticed Rahim to be donating a lot of his wealth to poor and pilgrims there. He wrote a doha (which was Rahim's specialty) and sent for him:
Seekhe Kahan Nawabjoo aisee deni dain
Jyon Jyon kar oopar uthat neeche neeche nain
[Where did the dear Nawab learn such giving
Arms are raised up (for giving) and the eyes are lowered?]
Rahim, wrote back to Tulsi:
Dainhaar koi aur hai det rahat din-rain
log bharam ham par dharain ta te neeche nain
[The giver is someone else who keeps giving day and night
People think it is me, so the eyes are lowered in embarrassment]
Rahim created a volume of literature. His sayings are so popular and deep rooted in Hindu psyche, that even today in the villages of North India, the idioms and phrases attributed to him can still be heard. His sayings reflect the classical nIti sayings / subhAshitAni from Sanskrit in plain Hindi and brajbhasha, very beautifully rhyming, easy to remember, and therefore so popular.
Rahim, this way a stepson of Akbar, was a very able administrator, and a brilliant poet. Of a Persian stock himself, he had an excellent command over Farsi, but since childhood had learnt Sanskrit and Brajbhasha, and had mastered both. He was a devotee of Krishna, who spent days dwelling in Mathura and Vrindavan. A very rich businessman too, and spent a lot in generous charities at the pilgrim places like Vrindavana.
He is best known for his poetry, and had championed the classical Doha: two-step style of Hindi poetry, while his contemporary Tulsidas can be said to be master of Chaupai style: the four-legged. While some say Rahim and Tulsi were even friends, and met several times, that although not recorded is not impossible.
Anyways there is recorded one short correspondence between the two. Tulsidas was traveling to Vrindavan when he noticed Rahim to be donating a lot of his wealth to poor and pilgrims there. He wrote a doha (which was Rahim's specialty) and sent for him:
Seekhe Kahan Nawabjoo aisee deni dain
Jyon Jyon kar oopar uthat neeche neeche nain
[Where did the dear Nawab learn such giving
Arms are raised up (for giving) and the eyes are lowered?]
Rahim, wrote back to Tulsi:
Dainhaar koi aur hai det rahat din-rain
log bharam ham par dharain ta te neeche nain
[The giver is someone else who keeps giving day and night
People think it is me, so the eyes are lowered in embarrassment]
Rahim created a volume of literature. His sayings are so popular and deep rooted in Hindu psyche, that even today in the villages of North India, the idioms and phrases attributed to him can still be heard. His sayings reflect the classical nIti sayings / subhAshitAni from Sanskrit in plain Hindi and brajbhasha, very beautifully rhyming, easy to remember, and therefore so popular.