and/or www.mantra.com/jai (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
2011-02-28 21:54:25 UTC
Forwarded message from A. C.
Why Shivaji is a pan-Indian hero
By Colonel Anil Athale (retired)
Rediff
Thursday, February 24, 2011
It is time to free this great son India from the shackles of narrow
regionalism, says Colonel Anil Athale (retd)
The birth anniversary of Chhattrapati Shivaji was celebrated
throughout Maharashtra last week. But unfortunately for this great
son of India, parochial organisations have hijacked his legacy and
reduced him to a 'local' figure.
It is worthwhile examining the 'what if' of history. Abandoning the
secular legacy of Akbar, Aurengzeb, his great great grandson, had
embarked on the 'Islamisation' of India. It is the Marathas, inspired
by Shivaji, who fought Aurengzeb and saved India from following the
fate of Persia. The proof of Maratha victory lies in the fact that
Aurengzeb lies buried, not in Lahore/Delhi or Agra, but near
Aurangabad down south.
But for Shivaji and the Marathas, there would have existed a
continuous Islamic belt from Morocco to Indonesia. What addition of 1
billion more adherents to Islam would have done to the world power
balance or what would have happened to Indian legacy like yoga,
ayurveda, music, art and philosophy, is not difficult to guess! It is
time to free this great son India from the shackles of narrow
regionalism.
Shivaji's life story reads like a thriller. It is difficult to
imagine that an individual could achieve so much in a single
lifetime. Shivaji revolutionised the art of warfare in India. His
policies, strategies and tactics mark a clear break from the past in
the Indian context. His approach to the use of violence was radically
different from that followed in the preceding 1000 years. The basic
Indian concept of war is 'Dharma Yudha' (war for the cause of
righteousness). Unfortunately, over the years, wars were ritualised,
mainly to reduce the level of violence.
Indian sages, the powers behind thrones, sought to limit conflicts
through these means In Indian eyes, war was reduced to a contest for
individual glory. This was in the era dominated by the Rajputs.
Indian history before Shivaji's advent reads like a chronicle of
military disasters. Shivaji changed all that. For him, victory was
the only morality in war.
Shivaji's ideas were different from long-held Indian beliefs. His
wars of movement have often been described as running away from
battle. Achievement of victory through surprise has also been
condemned as 'treachery', not just by his adversaries but even by
some Indians, down to the present era.
Unfortunately for Shivaji, there was no Indian version of Clausewitz
or Jomini to articulate his thoughts or practices. Within his
lifetime itself, he had become a cult figure and soon thereafter
deified, as is the Indian practice. His strategies and tactics have
been a beacon to the Indians in general and Marathas in particular,
in times of difficulty.
Shivaji was born in a crucible of revolt and did justice to a brave
mother, Jijabai. She was possibly the greatest influence on him. At
the of 15, Shivaji took an oath to usher in "Hindavi-Swarajya", note
it is Hindavi and not Hindu.
Ideology of 'Hindavi Swarajya' (Indian independence)
Shivaji can rightly be called the father of Indian nationalism. As a
small-time ruler of a mountainous area near Poona (Pune), he was like
thousands of petty rulers in existence all over India. The crucial
difference was that he had a vision of an independent India in which
Indians, irrespective of their faith, could live as proud and free
citizens.
It is this ideology, which aimed at the protection of the ancient
Indian civilisation, that was the bedrock of his military conquests.
In a letter written on April 17, 1645 to a Bijapur official's son,
Shivaji explained, "When we fight the Sultan of Bijapur, we are not
being dishonest. It is God's will that Hindavi Swarajya should get
established. It is this that gives me success after success."
The ideological foundations of Shivaji's kingdom ensured that he was
assured the co-operation of the entire population. His generals and
administrators came from all castes and clans. Thus he never suffered
from the enduring caste division that has plagued many other
administrations before and after him. The mental soil for implanting
such seeds was in any case fertile in Maharashtra thanks to the work
of saint-poets.
Shivaji's call for Hindavi Swarajya gave concrete shape to the social
urges in Maharashtra. Foreign historians have often written about the
apathy and disinterest of the ordinary people in the on going
military struggles. They were amazed that Indian peasants continued
to till their land while battle raged less than a mile away. This
lack of involvement can be said to be the reason why relatively small
armies have come and conquered the country.
Shivaji and his Hindavi Swarajya were certainly an exception. He had
popular support cutting across caste divisions that enabled him to
perform feats like the celebrated raid on Shaista Khan at Poona or
his escape from Mughal custody in Agra.
The natural corollary of Shivaji's call for Hindavi Swarajya was his
wooing of Rajputs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the
Mughal empire in reality was not Mughalat all but a Rajput-Mughal
coalition. Shivaji's greatest success was that while he fought the
misrule of the Muslim sultans and emperors, he managed to win over
sizeable numbers of Muslims to his side.
In this sense Shivaji can be rightly called the founder of the modern
secular state of India. He ensured that in his domain Muslim shrines
and people were well protected and treated equally. Even contemporary
Muslim historians, who otherwise have called him a robber king,
grudgingly admit this fact.
Kafi Khan, the Mughal court historian, rejoiced when Shivaji died.
"The Kafir has gone to hell," he wrote. But even he admits that
Shivaji treated the Quran Sharif with respect and never touched
mosques. His approach to the question of religion comes out clearly
in his letter to Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb had re-started the hated
'jizya' a tax that had to be paid by Hindus. Writing to him in a
regretful tone Shivaji wrote, "In this land Muslims, Hindus,
Christians and other people have stayed together without any problem.
Your own great grandfather Akbar was well known for his tolerance and
fairness to all faiths. Your imposing of this tax will lead to
terrible hardship for poor people and your empire will not survive.
The Quran is God's revelation and it does not make distinction
between God's children. In the mosque, the Muslims give Azaan while
the Hindus ring bells in temples -- what is the difference?"
Shivaji was also the first Indian ruler to discard war elephants. His
strategic doctrine relied on swift movement and mobile defence. He
believed in battles of annihilation by placing his army in an
advantageous position. Above all, he believed in relentless offensive
action and never permitted the enemy time to re-group. Shivaji did
not place any value on the mere possession of the battlefield;
rather, he made the enemy army his target.
Thus, on finding himself in a disadvantageous position, he had no
hesitation whatsoever in abandoning the battle and battlefield. He
placed great value on forts. Yet his defensive strategy was not based
on any kind of static defence. Forts for him were secure firm bases
from which to launch counter-offensives.
In March 1665 when a powerful Mughal army under Jaisingh of Jaipur
descended on Maharashtra, Shivaji had no hesitation in giving up most
of his forts as well as other areas. In 1666 after his successful
escape from Agra, in less than two years, Shivaji recaptured the
entire territory lost to the Mughals by the earlier treaty. Portugese
chronicles of the period show amazement at the ease with which
Shivaji recaptured 26 forts and compare his military exploits with
Alexander and Caesar.
Shivaji re-established a firm connection between politics and war.
War for him was a means to achieve his political aim of Hindavi
Swarajya. When he found that his objective could not be achieved
through diplomacy, he never hesitated to use force. This is in direct
contrast with the notions that have been firmly embedded in the
Indian mind of war as an end in itself. In this sense he can be said
to have revived the teachings of Chanakya after a lapse of nearly
1,000 years.
Shivaji placed great value on the achieving of surprise. This he did
through swift movement, often travelling more than 40 kms in a day
and also by using deliberate rumours as a potent weapon. In January
1664, when he attacked the rich port of Surat, his arrival at the
city gates came as a surprise to the traders who had thought him to
be going in the direction of Ahmedabad!
Shivaji often moved by night. Many of his attacks, like the
successful raid on the Poona camp of the Mughal army, were carried
out by night.
Shivaji recognised the value of accurate intelligence as a war
winning factor. Under Bahirji Naik, he organised an efficient system
of spies and was usually very well informed about enemy movement. In
the period after Shivaji, when the Mughal armies under Aurangzeb
tried to crush forever the Maratha resistance, the Marathas often had
spies inside the camp.
Shivaji did not compromise on security. When the new Maratha capital
was established at Raigarh fort, he asked the prime minister to
advertise that if any one could breach the fort walls unknown to the
sentries a hefty reward would be given. To the surprise of the prime
ministerMoropant Pingle, one Sarjerao, did manage to get into the
fort undetected.
Shivaji honoured his pledge and gave away the reward but also ordered
the hands and feet of Sarjerao to be cut and he was thrown down the
cliff to his death. Shivaji compensated the family but his logic was
that a person who knows state secrets is a security risk and has to
eliminated.
He believed in the importance of morale as a battle winning factor.
It has been shown earlier how he managed to destroy the myth of
Muslim superiority in the battle of Pratapgarh as well as by his
successful raid on Shaista Khan. To keep up the morale of his troops,
Shivaji often spread the story of the special blessings Goddess Durga
had given him. The simple, religious-minded folk were convinced that
he possessed divine powers.
Shivaji was one of a handful of Indian rulers to realise the
importance of sea power. In November 1664, he laid the foundations of
the fort at Sindhudurg. This was to be the headquarters of the
Maratha navy. He took an active interest in ship-building.
Shivaji's tactical doctrine is often described as 'Ganimi Kava'. This
is a Farsi word and literally means 'Enemy's tactics'. In a tactical
sense, Shivaji followed the tactics of the enemy. He invented no new
concepts and his weapons were the same as those of his enemy. His
striking success is attributed more to the skilful use he made of the
mobility of cavalry and the surprise he achieved through night
attacks.
The other contributory factors were his obviously better trained,
disciplined and motivated soldiery. His tactical-level contributions
were more in the field of organization and administration.
Despite the brief period for which he ruled unmolested, he
established a proper system of government with appointed offices and
departments. Realising the importance of sea power, he also
established a navy. His efforts at forging an all India unity failed
in the face of Rajput obduracy but he can be credited with being the
first to have an all-India vision of the nation.
The real test of Shvaji's contribution came after he was dead. It is
noteworthy that Aurengzeb did not venture into Maharashtra when
Shivaji was alive. Such was the potency of his memory that the
Marathas fought a guerrilla war for 22 years and destroyed the mighty
Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century it was the Marathas who fought the Afghans at
Panipat and later the British at Aligarh, Delhi and Lassawari (near
Agra). It is from the Marathas that the British took over India --
the Mughal empire was long dead and buried along with Aurengzeb since
1707!
Colonel Anil Athale (retd) studied Maratha history as the First
General Palit Military History Fellow of the IDSA and is the author
of Maratha Struggle for Empire.
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-shivaji-is-a-pan-indian-hero/20110224.htm
End of forwarded message from A. C.
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.
Why Shivaji is a pan-Indian hero
By Colonel Anil Athale (retired)
Rediff
Thursday, February 24, 2011
It is time to free this great son India from the shackles of narrow
regionalism, says Colonel Anil Athale (retd)
The birth anniversary of Chhattrapati Shivaji was celebrated
throughout Maharashtra last week. But unfortunately for this great
son of India, parochial organisations have hijacked his legacy and
reduced him to a 'local' figure.
It is worthwhile examining the 'what if' of history. Abandoning the
secular legacy of Akbar, Aurengzeb, his great great grandson, had
embarked on the 'Islamisation' of India. It is the Marathas, inspired
by Shivaji, who fought Aurengzeb and saved India from following the
fate of Persia. The proof of Maratha victory lies in the fact that
Aurengzeb lies buried, not in Lahore/Delhi or Agra, but near
Aurangabad down south.
But for Shivaji and the Marathas, there would have existed a
continuous Islamic belt from Morocco to Indonesia. What addition of 1
billion more adherents to Islam would have done to the world power
balance or what would have happened to Indian legacy like yoga,
ayurveda, music, art and philosophy, is not difficult to guess! It is
time to free this great son India from the shackles of narrow
regionalism.
Shivaji's life story reads like a thriller. It is difficult to
imagine that an individual could achieve so much in a single
lifetime. Shivaji revolutionised the art of warfare in India. His
policies, strategies and tactics mark a clear break from the past in
the Indian context. His approach to the use of violence was radically
different from that followed in the preceding 1000 years. The basic
Indian concept of war is 'Dharma Yudha' (war for the cause of
righteousness). Unfortunately, over the years, wars were ritualised,
mainly to reduce the level of violence.
Indian sages, the powers behind thrones, sought to limit conflicts
through these means In Indian eyes, war was reduced to a contest for
individual glory. This was in the era dominated by the Rajputs.
Indian history before Shivaji's advent reads like a chronicle of
military disasters. Shivaji changed all that. For him, victory was
the only morality in war.
Shivaji's ideas were different from long-held Indian beliefs. His
wars of movement have often been described as running away from
battle. Achievement of victory through surprise has also been
condemned as 'treachery', not just by his adversaries but even by
some Indians, down to the present era.
Unfortunately for Shivaji, there was no Indian version of Clausewitz
or Jomini to articulate his thoughts or practices. Within his
lifetime itself, he had become a cult figure and soon thereafter
deified, as is the Indian practice. His strategies and tactics have
been a beacon to the Indians in general and Marathas in particular,
in times of difficulty.
Shivaji was born in a crucible of revolt and did justice to a brave
mother, Jijabai. She was possibly the greatest influence on him. At
the of 15, Shivaji took an oath to usher in "Hindavi-Swarajya", note
it is Hindavi and not Hindu.
Ideology of 'Hindavi Swarajya' (Indian independence)
Shivaji can rightly be called the father of Indian nationalism. As a
small-time ruler of a mountainous area near Poona (Pune), he was like
thousands of petty rulers in existence all over India. The crucial
difference was that he had a vision of an independent India in which
Indians, irrespective of their faith, could live as proud and free
citizens.
It is this ideology, which aimed at the protection of the ancient
Indian civilisation, that was the bedrock of his military conquests.
In a letter written on April 17, 1645 to a Bijapur official's son,
Shivaji explained, "When we fight the Sultan of Bijapur, we are not
being dishonest. It is God's will that Hindavi Swarajya should get
established. It is this that gives me success after success."
The ideological foundations of Shivaji's kingdom ensured that he was
assured the co-operation of the entire population. His generals and
administrators came from all castes and clans. Thus he never suffered
from the enduring caste division that has plagued many other
administrations before and after him. The mental soil for implanting
such seeds was in any case fertile in Maharashtra thanks to the work
of saint-poets.
Shivaji's call for Hindavi Swarajya gave concrete shape to the social
urges in Maharashtra. Foreign historians have often written about the
apathy and disinterest of the ordinary people in the on going
military struggles. They were amazed that Indian peasants continued
to till their land while battle raged less than a mile away. This
lack of involvement can be said to be the reason why relatively small
armies have come and conquered the country.
Shivaji and his Hindavi Swarajya were certainly an exception. He had
popular support cutting across caste divisions that enabled him to
perform feats like the celebrated raid on Shaista Khan at Poona or
his escape from Mughal custody in Agra.
The natural corollary of Shivaji's call for Hindavi Swarajya was his
wooing of Rajputs. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the
Mughal empire in reality was not Mughalat all but a Rajput-Mughal
coalition. Shivaji's greatest success was that while he fought the
misrule of the Muslim sultans and emperors, he managed to win over
sizeable numbers of Muslims to his side.
In this sense Shivaji can be rightly called the founder of the modern
secular state of India. He ensured that in his domain Muslim shrines
and people were well protected and treated equally. Even contemporary
Muslim historians, who otherwise have called him a robber king,
grudgingly admit this fact.
Kafi Khan, the Mughal court historian, rejoiced when Shivaji died.
"The Kafir has gone to hell," he wrote. But even he admits that
Shivaji treated the Quran Sharif with respect and never touched
mosques. His approach to the question of religion comes out clearly
in his letter to Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb had re-started the hated
'jizya' a tax that had to be paid by Hindus. Writing to him in a
regretful tone Shivaji wrote, "In this land Muslims, Hindus,
Christians and other people have stayed together without any problem.
Your own great grandfather Akbar was well known for his tolerance and
fairness to all faiths. Your imposing of this tax will lead to
terrible hardship for poor people and your empire will not survive.
The Quran is God's revelation and it does not make distinction
between God's children. In the mosque, the Muslims give Azaan while
the Hindus ring bells in temples -- what is the difference?"
Shivaji was also the first Indian ruler to discard war elephants. His
strategic doctrine relied on swift movement and mobile defence. He
believed in battles of annihilation by placing his army in an
advantageous position. Above all, he believed in relentless offensive
action and never permitted the enemy time to re-group. Shivaji did
not place any value on the mere possession of the battlefield;
rather, he made the enemy army his target.
Thus, on finding himself in a disadvantageous position, he had no
hesitation whatsoever in abandoning the battle and battlefield. He
placed great value on forts. Yet his defensive strategy was not based
on any kind of static defence. Forts for him were secure firm bases
from which to launch counter-offensives.
In March 1665 when a powerful Mughal army under Jaisingh of Jaipur
descended on Maharashtra, Shivaji had no hesitation in giving up most
of his forts as well as other areas. In 1666 after his successful
escape from Agra, in less than two years, Shivaji recaptured the
entire territory lost to the Mughals by the earlier treaty. Portugese
chronicles of the period show amazement at the ease with which
Shivaji recaptured 26 forts and compare his military exploits with
Alexander and Caesar.
Shivaji re-established a firm connection between politics and war.
War for him was a means to achieve his political aim of Hindavi
Swarajya. When he found that his objective could not be achieved
through diplomacy, he never hesitated to use force. This is in direct
contrast with the notions that have been firmly embedded in the
Indian mind of war as an end in itself. In this sense he can be said
to have revived the teachings of Chanakya after a lapse of nearly
1,000 years.
Shivaji placed great value on the achieving of surprise. This he did
through swift movement, often travelling more than 40 kms in a day
and also by using deliberate rumours as a potent weapon. In January
1664, when he attacked the rich port of Surat, his arrival at the
city gates came as a surprise to the traders who had thought him to
be going in the direction of Ahmedabad!
Shivaji often moved by night. Many of his attacks, like the
successful raid on the Poona camp of the Mughal army, were carried
out by night.
Shivaji recognised the value of accurate intelligence as a war
winning factor. Under Bahirji Naik, he organised an efficient system
of spies and was usually very well informed about enemy movement. In
the period after Shivaji, when the Mughal armies under Aurangzeb
tried to crush forever the Maratha resistance, the Marathas often had
spies inside the camp.
Shivaji did not compromise on security. When the new Maratha capital
was established at Raigarh fort, he asked the prime minister to
advertise that if any one could breach the fort walls unknown to the
sentries a hefty reward would be given. To the surprise of the prime
ministerMoropant Pingle, one Sarjerao, did manage to get into the
fort undetected.
Shivaji honoured his pledge and gave away the reward but also ordered
the hands and feet of Sarjerao to be cut and he was thrown down the
cliff to his death. Shivaji compensated the family but his logic was
that a person who knows state secrets is a security risk and has to
eliminated.
He believed in the importance of morale as a battle winning factor.
It has been shown earlier how he managed to destroy the myth of
Muslim superiority in the battle of Pratapgarh as well as by his
successful raid on Shaista Khan. To keep up the morale of his troops,
Shivaji often spread the story of the special blessings Goddess Durga
had given him. The simple, religious-minded folk were convinced that
he possessed divine powers.
Shivaji was one of a handful of Indian rulers to realise the
importance of sea power. In November 1664, he laid the foundations of
the fort at Sindhudurg. This was to be the headquarters of the
Maratha navy. He took an active interest in ship-building.
Shivaji's tactical doctrine is often described as 'Ganimi Kava'. This
is a Farsi word and literally means 'Enemy's tactics'. In a tactical
sense, Shivaji followed the tactics of the enemy. He invented no new
concepts and his weapons were the same as those of his enemy. His
striking success is attributed more to the skilful use he made of the
mobility of cavalry and the surprise he achieved through night
attacks.
The other contributory factors were his obviously better trained,
disciplined and motivated soldiery. His tactical-level contributions
were more in the field of organization and administration.
Despite the brief period for which he ruled unmolested, he
established a proper system of government with appointed offices and
departments. Realising the importance of sea power, he also
established a navy. His efforts at forging an all India unity failed
in the face of Rajput obduracy but he can be credited with being the
first to have an all-India vision of the nation.
The real test of Shvaji's contribution came after he was dead. It is
noteworthy that Aurengzeb did not venture into Maharashtra when
Shivaji was alive. Such was the potency of his memory that the
Marathas fought a guerrilla war for 22 years and destroyed the mighty
Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century it was the Marathas who fought the Afghans at
Panipat and later the British at Aligarh, Delhi and Lassawari (near
Agra). It is from the Marathas that the British took over India --
the Mughal empire was long dead and buried along with Aurengzeb since
1707!
Colonel Anil Athale (retd) studied Maratha history as the First
General Palit Military History Fellow of the IDSA and is the author
of Maratha Struggle for Empire.
http://www.rediff.com/news/column/why-shivaji-is-a-pan-indian-hero/20110224.htm
End of forwarded message from A. C.
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.