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FOUR Shivaji – Jai Singh
JAI SINGH
Neither of us have prevailed. A third force has entered into the land and takes the fruits of your work and as for mine, it is broken and the ideal I have cherished has gone down into the dust.
SHIVAJI
For the fruit I did not work and I am not amazed by the failure nor discouraged.
JAI SINGH
I too did not work for my reward, but to uphold the ideal of the Rajput. Unflinching courage in honourable warfare, chivalry to friend and foe, a noble loyalty to the sovereign of our choice, this seemed to me the true Indian tradition, preferable even to the unity and predominance of the Hindu races. Therefore, I could not accept your overtures. But I gave you the opportunity to accept my own tradition and when faith was not kept with me and with you, I saved my honour and assisted your escape.
SHIVAJI
God extended to me His protection and moved the heart of a woman to give me love and aid. Traditions change. The ideal of the Rajput has its future, but the mould had to be broken in order that what was temporary in it might pass. Loyalty to the sovereign of my choice is good, but loyalty to the sovereign of my nation’s choice, that is better. The monarch is divine by the power of God expressed within him, but he has it because he is the elect of the people. God in the nation is the deity of which the monarch is the servant. Vithova, virāṭ of the Marhattas — Bhavāni incarnate as India — in their strength I conquered.
Page – 483 JAI SINGH
Your political ideal was great but your standard of means was abhorrent to our morality. Ruse, treachery, pillage, assassination, these were not excluded from your action!
SHIVAJI
Not for myself I fought and ruled, but for God and the Maharashtra dharma, the religion of Hindu Nationality, which Ramdas enunciated. I offered my head to Bhavāni and She bade me keep it to scheme and plot for the welfare of the nation. I gave my kingdom to Ramdas and he made me take it back as a gift from God and the Marhattas. Both commands I obeyed. I slew when God commanded, I plundered because He pointed out that as the means He had given me. Treacherous I was not, but I helped my weakness in resource and numbers by ruse and stratagem, conquered physical force by keenness of wit and brain-force. The world has accepted ruse in war and politics and the chivalrous openness of the Rajput is not owned either by the European or the Asiatic nations.
JAI SINGH
I held the dharma as supreme and even the voice of God could not persuade me to abandon it.
SHIVAJI
I gave up all to Him and did not keep even the dharma. His will was my religion; for He was my Captain and I his soldier. That was my loyalty, not to Aurangzebe, not to a code of morals, but to God who sent me.
JAI SINGH
He sends us all, but for different purposes and according to the purpose he moulds the ideal and the character. I am not grieved that the Mogul has fallen. Had he deserved to retain sovereignty he could not have lost it, but even when he ceased to deserve, I kept my faith, my service, my loyalty. It was not for me to dispute the will of my emperor. God who appointed him might judge him; it was not my office.
Page – 484 SHIVAJI
God also appoints the man, who rebels and refuses to prolong unjust authority by acquiescence. He is not always on the side of power; sometimes He manifests as the deliverer.
JAI SINGH
Let Him come down Himself then as He promised. Then alone would rebellion be justified.
SHIVAJI
But whence will He come down, when He is here already, in our hearts ? Because I saw Him there, therefore was I strong enough to carry out my mission.
JAI SINGH
Where is the seal upon your work, the pledge of His authority?
SHIVAJI
I undermined an empire and it has not been rebuilt. I created a nation and it has not yet perished.
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