Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj - A Great Hero With Virtues

In mediveal India , there was a political turmoil with the Mughals dominating the polity on the Indian soil. Simultaneously , there was the uprising of the Maratha power in the western peninsula region of Indian subcontinent as well. The Marathas rose to the power under the leadership of the great Maharaja Chatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji was not only a known and eminent personality in India but also a king with international fame during his era. His first biography was not done by an Indian but by an Portugese traveller and writer known as Cosme de Guarda.Same was the fate of his first potrait which was done few years after his death by a Dutch painter.

Shivaji is known as a great conqueror , administrator,king and of course as a gallant warrior. But less is known about his true virtues and his steps to unify all the castes of the society and also buid a bridge between religions.

The first and the most important virtue that he possesd that he really cared for the raiyats (common people ,specially the peasants ) and deeply thought about their welfare.While crossing the lands , he ordered his troops not even a single leaf of the cabbage or lentil should be damaged.This shows his concern for the people. Once one of his subedar had collected more than the required tax of the given area. As the news reached emperor shivaji , he immediately threatened to return the extra money collected. A king with such virtue is of rare existence.

The next virtue which should be boasted about is the manner he respected women. There were many instance when Chatrapati should his chivalrous and gentle side over the gallant one. When the Marathas were victorious at Kalyan, they brought in plunder loots , booty and women and the leader was the subedar . The subedar presented the most beautiful of the women infront of the Maratha king. Shivaji then being ashamed , asked from the lady for forgiveness and immediately imprisoned the subedar. There was also the famous Ranjha Patil case where Patil raped his own daughter in law. Shivaji maharaj gave severe punishment to him , a capital punishment like hands and legs being chopped off.

The third and the most sought after virtue of the great Maratha maharaja is the way he united the massess. He made all the sections of the society work under him. In the Hindu religion context , from the lower caste maharas to the upper caste brahmins all were employed in some or the other post in his administrative or millitary departments. The peasant when they used to finish harvesting and reaping their crops would return to their positions in the millitary forces.There were important ranks held by Muslims as well . Two of the Important subedars of Shivaji were Muslims. Another interesting fact is that when Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj defeated and killed Afzal Khan in one to one battle in Pratap Gad, Shivaji gave him a burial . The burial was just alike the genuine burial in which the warrior's are buried. this donates how he used to warrior's as well as mankind. This also talks about his secular mind set as well.

Thus we see this is how the life of the great Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj can influence us to make moulded personality of our own with virtues like compassion, respect towards women and secularism.