Shivaji -- Portrait of the King as Barbarian

It is point that needs to be thought, yes indeed if the gita says that u should do your job even though imperfectly, rather doing some one elses job perfectly, then that would make Shivaji irreligious, according to their own doctrines, what i would like mention at this point of debate is why is Shivaji called the King of Maharashtra? or was it that time Maharashtra, Maharashtra came into existence after independence. and as far as i am concerned Shivaji was no where gutsy enough to enter the areas of Marathwada right upto parbhani or vidharba right upto gadchiroli, he was merely roaming the western maharashtra(not fully) and Kokan, places which suited his combat of guirella warfare, fair enough. But for heavens sake dont name his as King of Maharashtra, he was a small time ruler, who still ended up paying the main rulers the mughals their dues and even requested them many times to entitle him with the tag ``Raja``. he was a ruler in his own right. but if you compare him to the Mughal Emperor, the difference would be as vast as comparing a local corporator or at the most a MLA to the Prime Minister of India, they both are publically chosen agreed, but then there is a vast difference, same was the case if u compare Shivaji or any Mughal Emperor. The whole thing of presenting Shivaji as a Hindu king or Mughals as Muslim rulers is purely waste of time and energy (as far as i am concerned) because i see the tussle between these two merely for power,land,wealth,increase of stature in society. nothing related to religion. Lets us sit back and count how many religious monuments were funded by Shivaji or what did he do to spread Hindu religion outside India? nothing absolutely nothing he was way too busy fighting wars, winning and losing lands.plotting schemes against his own brother Vyankoji Bhonsale by shaking hands with Muslim rulers (now what did suddenly happen to this so called Hindu King?) because does Hindu religion allows you to fight and kill your own real brother (for god`s sake dont mention Pandavas and Kauravas and the MYTH, it is just a Myth no proven records for same are found) so was the case with the Mughal rulers, their sons fought them, and sons imprisoned fathers, AN idiot like Akbar could go on and establish his own religion when he has nothing better to do. so Please dont label them as a Hindu King and Muslim ruler, they were power thisty rulers and nothing else. I am certainly not inspired by them as many of my generation are, because i dont beleive in snatching something which belongs to some one already, not would i attack my own brother for land money and power even though he is my half brother, and certainly not imprison my father for being a King.

CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ IS ONE OF THE MOST REVERED AND LOVED PERSONALITIES AMONGST THE PEOPLE OF MAHARASHTRA, EVEN TODAY. HE ESTABLISHED THE `HINDAVI SWARAJYA`, NEARLY 400 YEARS AGO, WHICH WAS REPLACED BY THE MARATHA EMPIRE, RUN BY THE PESHWA (PRIME MINISTER). THUS, `HINDAVI SWARAJYA` BECAME PESHWAI, YET THE LOVE AND REVERENCE FOR THE CHHATRAPATI REMAINS THE SAME TODAY. AS A MAHARASHTRIAN, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY:

#1 MAHARASHTRA, DURING SHIVAJI`S TIME WAS RULED BY THREE MAIN POWERS: THE ADILSHAHI OF BIJAPUR, THE NIZAMSHAHI OF AHMADNAGAR AND THE QUTUBSHAHI OF GOLCONDA. THESE POWERS RULED MAHARASHTRA BY FEUDAL SYSTEM i.e. JAGIRS (FIEFS) WERE CONTROLLED BY JAGIRDARS, WHO WERE MOSTLY HINDU MARATHA SARDARS. THEY CARED MORE ABOUT THEIR PLACE IN THE COURTS OF THESE KINGDOMS THAN THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LANDS. SHIVAJI MAHARAJ ESTABLISHED THE `HINDAVI SWARAJ` TO BRING ABOUT A CENTRALISED ADMINISTRATION, THUS ENDING THE FEUDAL SYSTEM.

#2 CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ ESTABLISHED THE `HINDAVI SWARAJYA` (SELF-RULED STATE OF HINDUS:- A VERY LOOSE TRANSLATION), YET THERE IS NOT A SINGLE INSTANCE SHOWING THAT SHIVAJI MAHARAJ WAS AGAINST ANY RELIGION. HE WAS A STATESMAN, HE PICKED PEOPLE BY QUALITIES, RATHER THAN BY BIRTH. IN FACT, SHIVAJI`S PRIDE, HIS NAVY EMPLOYED A VAST CHUNK OF KOKANASTHA (FROM OR OF KONKAN) MUSLIMS. HIS ARMY CONSISTED OF A FAIR SIZE OF MUSLIMS. HIS FIRST ENEMIES WERE HINDU MARATHA SARDARS. WHEN CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ ESCAPED FROM HIS AGRA IMPRISONMENT, IT WAS MADARI MEHETER, ONE OF SHIVAJI MAHARAJA`S BODYGUARDS, THAT RETURNED THE PRECIOUS SHIV-LING, THAT SHIVAJI MAHARAJ HAD FORGOTTEN. HE HAD WON THE HEARTS AND LOVE OF MUSLIMS, ALSO!

#3 CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ UNITED THE DIFFERENT REGIONS OF MAHARASHTRA, UNDER ONE RULE. MAHARASHTRA IS DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING REGIONS:- KONKAN, MARATHWADA, WESTERN MAHARASHTRA (GHAT) AND VIDHARBHA. THOUGH EACH REGION HAS A SEPARATE IDENTITY, THEY WERE UNITED UNDER THE SAME OCHRE BANNER ( NOW USED BY THE SHIV-SENA).

#4 CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ HAD A PROFOUND RESPECT FOR WOMEN, A SENSE INCULCATED, FROM BIRTH BY HIS MOTHER, JIJABAI (WHO IS MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS MAASAHEB). HE USED TO `AWARD` THE MOST STRINGEST PUNISHMENTS TO THOSE WHO MOLESTED A WOMAN. THE CHHATRAPATI DID NOT EVEN SPARE HIS OWN SON!
HE USED TO REGARD WOMEN (EXCEPT HIS WIVES) AS EQUIVALENT TO HIS MOTHER AND SISTER. HE USED TO TREAT THEM IN THAT RESPECT, IN WORDS AND COMMITMENT. HE NEVER FAILED TO PUNISH EVEN THE HIGHEST RANKED OFFICER IF THEY SHOWED ANY DISRESPECT TOWARDS ANY WOMAN.

#5 CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ ESTABLISHED A KINGDOM, WITH A HANDFUL MEN, AT THE AGE OF SIXTEEN. AS A RESULT, HE VALUED HIS PEOPLE THE MOST. HE USED TO FEEL DEEPLY, WHEN ANY OF HIS PEOPLE WOULD GET KILLED DURING WAR. HE NEVER FAILED TO GLORIFY HIS MEN. THE LEGENDS LIKE TANAJI MALUSARE, BAJI PRABHU DESHPANDE, FIRANGOJI NARSALA, MURARBAJI, TO NAME A FEW ARE ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE MORE SKILLFUL THAN CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ HIMSELF.
HE NAMED THE GHODKHIND PASS AS THE PAVAN (PURE) KHIND, WHEN BAJI DIED FIGHTING, TRYING TO SAVE SHIVAJI`S LIFE. HIS UTTERANCE OF THE WORDS, ``THE FORT IS CAPTURED, BUT THE LION IS DEAD.`` WHEN TANAJI MALUSARE DIED, WHEN TRYING TO CAPTURE A FORT, IN THE MIDST OF THE PREPARATIONS OF HIS SON`S WEDDING SHOWS HIS PROFOUND GRIEF.

#6 HIS MILITARY GENIUS IS TO BE AWED. HE USED TO ROUT HUGE (COMPARED TO HIS FEW HUNDREDS, AN ARMY 50,000-STRONG CAN BE SAID TO BE HUGE) ENEMY ARMIES IN A MATTER OF DAYS, WITH LEAST MINIMAL LOSSES ON HIS SIDE, USING SUPERB GUERILLA TACTICS AND THAT, WITHOUT MUCH FIREARMS. HE ESTABLISHED HIS NAVY, BY DESIGNING HIS OWN WAR-SHIPS. HIS HEALTH ALONE STOPPED HIM FROM MAKING ANY SEA CONQUESTS, HIMSELF.

#7 SHIVAJI MAHARAJ IS LOVED FOR HIS STRENGTHS AS WELL AS HIS WEAKNESSES. HIS STATE OF DEPRESSION AND A LACK OF ADEQUATE PUNISHMENT TO HIS SON, SAMBHAJI, WHEN HE JOINED THE MUGHALS IS WELL KNOWN. HE HAD LITTLE TIME FOR HIS FAMILLY. HE TRIED TO BALANCE HIS LIFE AS A RULER AND AS A FAMILY MAN.
SWAMI RAMDAS ONCE SAID OF SHIVAJI MAHARAJ, THAT HE WAS A `SHRIMAN YOGI` - A PERSON WHO WORKS FOR THE WELFARE OF THE WORLD, YET IS UNDER THE EVERYDAY CONSTRAINTS OF A FAMILY MAN.

#8 THE GREATEST SIGN OF A MAN`S EXISTENCE IS HOW HIS PEOPLE CARRY HIS IDEALS FORWARD, AFTER HIS DEATH. CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ`S UNTIMELY DEATH, PLUNGED THE FLEDGLING MARATHA KINGDOM INTO TOTAL CONFUSION. WITH THE MURDER OF SAMBHAJI, NO DEFINITE LEADER, AND THE MUGHAL EMPEROR, HIMSELF, LEADING THE WHOLE OF THE ONE MILLION-STRONG MUGHAL ARMY, WITH ALL AVAILABLE RESOURCES, THE SOLE INSPIRATION FOR THE LONE MARATHA WAS CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJA`S AMBITION AND THE LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE, THAT LED HIM TO CARVE OUT A SEPARATE IDENTITY FOR HIS PEOPLE, PRIMARILY IN THEIR OWN HEARTS, THEN A PERMANENT PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF INDIA. AFTER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF FIGHTING, THE NEW MARATHA EMPIRE WAS BORN.

CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJA`S TALES ARE A PART OF THE LOCAL FOLKLORE. IN VILLAGES, EVEN TODAY, SONGS, PLAYS AND STORIES ARE POPULAR. I FEEL THE HUMBLEST WHENEVER I THINK OF THE LEGEND, HIS PERSONA.

baap ney mari maindaki,

aur beta teerandaaz


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