THE PROFILE OF AKBAR IN CONTEMPORARY RAJASTHANI LITERATURE 47 was also accompanied by tenderness in young Akbar which was witnessed by the author when Akbar refused to kill the defeated Hemu with his own hands.9 Akbar's large heartedness and respect for bravery is portrayed in a bardic poem. He had shown full respect to bravery even of his enemy like Rana Pratap. Akbar was deeply saddened and his eyes got wet when he received the news of the Rana's death,10 which was a rare and noble gesture. Akbar seems to have been quite sensitive and emotional in his approach towards the Rajput chiefs and tried his best to give a personal touch to it. On the death of Bhopal (son of Raja Rai Singh of Bikaner) he conveyed heart-felt condolences to Dalpat (brother of the deceased) and enquiries about his wives.11 Moreover his assurance to Dalpat saying that he was like his son (beta) and had all the right to get tika of Bikaner certainly might have had soothing effect on the prince.12 He dined at the residence of Rupsi, the chief of Maroth, as a sign of intimacy.13 Th suicide by one of his petty Rajput chief, named Randhirot, a Rathor, before his own eyes shocked him, and he was stunned for a while.14 Although these happenings appear to have been relatively trivial, they had their impact on the Rajput mind. Many songs (geet) in praise of Akbar were composed by contemporary poets. Similes were employed for the Emperor to compare him with a wide spectrum of gods. He was portrayed as an incarnation of Lord Rama, Krishna, Lukshman and Arjun.15 It is generally believed that Akbar was not a lettered person but a bardic poet thinks otherwise. In his eyes the great Emperor was well versed in many branches of knowledge such as language, music and religious books such as the Kuran and Puranas. This indicates a recognition of Akbar's interest in the sacred books of both the Hindus and Muslims.16 The military successes of Akbar obtained full appreciation from poets, sometimes with the usual poetical exaggeration. It is said that Akbar's military successes shook the throne of Lord Indra (the chief god associated with war and rain) and consequently residents (Gods) of Indralok (the mythological empire of Lord Indra) complained to their Lord about it for fear of annexation of their territories.17 They were soothed by Indra's assurance that Akbar would not trespass on their territories. II Some contemporary literature of Rajasthan faced a unique dilemma while portraying the relation between the Rana aod Akbar because of their allegiance to both the personalities. The love of Rana Pratap for independence and the determination with which he continued his struggle against Akbar for his entire life