Certain leaders of newly formed I.N.D.I Alliance have made seriously objectionable and thoroughly condemnable statements against the socio-religious way of live of the greater Bhartiya civilisation ‘Sanatana Dharma’ that once spread from Champapura in Vietnam, to Singhpura off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, from Kingdoms of Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java in the Indonesian archipelago to settlements of greater Armenia Kuars, Meghti and Horeans so on and so forth. The detestable ignorance of those who spoke against Sanatana is nothing but perpetuation of old colonial dislike against ancient Bhartiya civilisation, manifested by statements like that of Thomas Babington Macaulay, “A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.” The haters of Sanatana Dharma say that caste discrimination is an inseparable part of it, a completely fallacious statement indeed.
The Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a befitting reply to those who spoke against Sanatana in his recent speech at Bina Madhya Pradesh, he said “People should remain vigilant against those who want to break Sanatana, which has kept India united.” He mentioned it was Sanatana that inspired Sant Ravidas, Maharishi Valmiki and Mata Shabri, they were from the subaltern community. If we look at the history of Indian nationalism, Hindavi Swarajya championed by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, ideological precursor to the modern Indian nationalism was inspired by Sanatana, the war cry was Har Har Mahadev! And the standard was Saffron like the rising sun. Hero of Sanatanis’ struggle for independence Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, showed through his words and actions that he cared for and worked for welfare of all, Dvijas and subalterns alike.
As per Stephen P. Cohen, in his book “The Indian Army: Contribution to the Development of a Nation” Mahars (Dalits) were a sizeable portion of the armies of the Mahratta chieftain Shivaji, served as hereditary local policeman, and were thus a “natural” martial class. It was after all a descendant of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja of Kolhapur who gave funds for “MookNayak”, the first newspaper, Babasaheb Ambedkar who was born in a Mahar family started, he even gave a scholarship to Babasaheb to finish his education and another scholarship was provided to him by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad, who was another great follower of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja and proud flag bearer of Hindavi Swarajya. The author agrees that even Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, Chatrapati Shahu Maharaja and Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III faced caste discrimination, but this did not make them spill vitriol against Sanatana Dharma, rather they worked to eradicate the social evil of caste discrimination and also promoted Sanatana Dharma.
Hindavi Swarajya evolved out of Maharashtra Dharma that was influenced by Sanatana Dharma, it has been defined by, renowned intellectual Justice M. G. Ranade, in the following way “Like the Protestant Reformation in Europe in the sixteenth century, there was a religious, social and literary revival and reformation in India, but notably in the Deccan in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This religious revival was not Brahmanical in its orthodoxy; it was heterodox in its spirit of protest against forms and ceremonies and class distinctions based on birth, and ethical in its preference of a pure heart and of the law of love, to all other acquired merits and good works. This religious revival was the work also of the people, of the masses, and not of the classes.”
Har Har Mahadev! Was then as much the war cry of subaltern communities as those of the Dvijas as a part of a united struggle against the oppressive regime of the Sultanates of Deccan, Mughals and European colonialists on the coasts of India. Like the social evil of caste discrimination developed in India, social evils of serfdom developed in Europe, and Devshirme system developed in Muslim Ottoman Caliphate, but why is the criticism of haters of Sanatana so one sided and selective? The answer is the colonial mindset that they have.
Coming back to the inclusive hero of Sanatanis’ struggle for independence Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, not just subaltern Mahars but tribals like Ramoshis were an important part of his Hindavi army, During the 17th century, the Ramoshis were part of the intelligence department in the Maratha army. Ramoshi Bahirji Naik was the head of the intelligence department of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja. A barber Shiva Kashid sacrificed his life to protect the life of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja. Mr. Prakash Ambedkar a descendant of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar mentioned that the relationship between Ambedkarite movement and Shivaji Maharaj is old and the slogan “Jai Bhavani” was first given by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar (maybe he meant in the modern Indian freedom movement). Prakash Ambedkar even shared letters written by Dr B R Ambedkar with Jai Bhawani written on the top. Haters of Sanatana Dharma should read about the life of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaja, “Philosopher King (Concept given by Plato)” to learn how caste bonhomie and amity was maintained by him when he led the Sanatanis’ struggle for independence, and how his followers held the Saffron flag high and worked for the welfare of all castes in the confederacy that they established. Bhakti movement and Hindavi Swarajya showed the world welfarist inclusiveness of Sanatana Dharma.
