Shivaji Maharaj ended long tradition of losing battles to invaders: RSS chief Bhagwat

Nagpur: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday asserted legendary Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj emerged as a solution to the consistent loss of battles to invaders in India for centuries.

Speaking at a book release event in Nagpur, Bhagwat explained that the tradition of losing battles to foreign invasions had persisted since the time of Alexander the Great and continued with major attacks under the guise of spreading Islam.

"This tradition of losing battles and seeing the destruction of systems continued for centuries, with no solution found, not even by the Vijayanagar Empire or leaders in Rajasthan," he noted.

The RSS leader emphasised that Shivaji Maharaj, who founded the Maratha empire in the 17th century, was the first warrior to provide a strong counter to such invasions.

"Shivaji Maharaj was the first one who gave a strong solution to such attacks and invasions," Bhagwat said.

He noted the era of continuous defeats to foreign invaders ended with the rise of Shivaji Maharaj.

"The era of consistently losing battles after battles ended with Shivaji Maharaj as he offered a solution to them," the RSS leader maintained.

Shivaji Maharaj is called a ‘yugpurush’ (an epoch-making person) because he stopped the cycle of invasions in the country, including Mughal aggression, Bhagwat said.

He recalled how Shivaji Maharaj's escape from Agra, where he had been detained by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, led to his successful reclamation of territories.

"He won back whatever he had agreed to (give up) earlier in the peace pact and crowned himself as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj," he noted.

"His crowning marked the end of such invaders in the country," he added.

The RSS chief pointed to subsequent wave of resistance led by other regional leaders who were inspired by the Maratha king.

"Maharaj won southern parts of the country, and other leaders like Chatrasal in Bundelkhand, kings in Rajasthan under the leadership of Durgadas Rathod, and even Chakradwaj Singh of Cooch Bihar, started pushing back Mughals," Bhagwat said.

He noted that Chakradwaj Singh had written to another king, citing Shivaji Maharaj as an example and urging them to follow his model to "submerge the demons in the Bay of Bengal."

The RSS chief emphasised on the continued relevance of Shivaji Maharaj's legacy and highlighted he remains a role model of today, and his deeds are worthy of emulation, both as an individual and as a nation.

"Shivaji Maharaj's inspiration is still relevant today," he said, pointing out that towering figures like Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda drew upon his example in their own works.

"In South India, because an actor worked in a film on Shivaji, his name became Sivaji Ganesan instead of just Ganesan," Bhagwat said.

The RSS chief was speaking after releasing the book, 'Yugandhar Shivray', written by late Sumant Tekade, author of several books on Shivaji Maharaj.

RSS leaders Keshav Hedgewar, Madhavrao Golwalkar and Balasaheb Deoras had termed Hanuman as the ‘adarsh’ (ideal) of mythological era and Shivaji Maharaj as the role model of modern times, Bhagwat said.