Shivaji’s Quest for Hindu Validation

Who Was Shivaji was first published in 1988 as Shivaji Kon Hota by Communist Party of India leader Govind Pansare.The work is not as much a biography of Shivaji as it is an attempt to debunk some of the myths surrounding his persona.In his introduction, Anirudh Deshpande, an associate professor in the department of history at Delhi University, notes that Pansare questions the way in which dominant Maratha historiography has enforced modern (colonial and post-colonial), religious categories on the past.

Although he has been appropriated by Hindu nationalists and erected as a Gobrahman Pratipalak— the protector of the cow and the Brahmin—Pansare reminds us that Shivaji faced great opposition from powerful Hindus who refused to be ruled by a person belonging to a caste lower than their own. On 16 February 2015, Pansare and his wife were gunned down by unknown assailants outside their home in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Pansare succumbed to his injuries four days later. His murder, is as of now, unsolved.

To oppose Shivaji, some Brahmans in his kingdom performed a yajna called Kot Chandi Yajna. They conducted this yajna on behalf of Mirza Raja Jai Singh, the mighty nobleman who served the Emperor of Delhi; they wished him victory. A chronicle describes the scene:

Mirza Raja was worried that Shivaji, very brave and clever, was fond of battle. He was a very skillful warrior. He had personally killed Afzal Khan. He ran riot in the camp of Shaista Khan. Mirza Raja was therefore worried about his own success. The great Brahman priests suggested a way. He would succeed if he performed a yajna. Then Mirza said, “Prepare a Kot Chandi and eleven crore lingas. Chanting should be practised to fulfill my desire.” He thus arranged for four hundred Brahmans to sit for the yajna. The yajna and prayers continued round the clock. He set aside two crore rupees for the yajna and it went on for three months. After completion of the yajna the Brahmans were properly rewarded and then he set on his campaign.

Many Brahmans of Maharashtra opposed the anointment of Shivaji as king. This is a well-known fact. According to the system of Chaturvarna and the old Hindu laws, only Brahmans and Kshatriyas had the right to become a king. Even though Shivaji was a warrior, even though he had conquered what could easily be a kingdom, religious law said that he was not entitled to be a king. Some doubted his being a Kshatriya.

And others did not bother whether he was a Kshatriya or not. For them, even if he belonged to the Kshatriya kula, he did not remain a Kshatriya because he had suffered samskarkshaya. His maunji bandhan [thread ceremony] was not performed. His wedding was not performed according to proper rituals. How, then, could he be king?

Some very orthodox Brahmans went to the extreme. They said that the Kshatriyas no longer existed after the Nanda dynasty (Nandantam Kshatriya Kulam). In Akbar’s time, Krishna Bhat Shesha wrote a treatise, Shudrachar Shiromani, in which he argued that Parashuram had wiped out the Kshatriyas from the face of the earth. No longer do Kshatriyas with kingly qualities and belonging to kingly dynasties exist.

In this situation, how could Shivaji be anointed a king?

Not a single Brahman from Maharashtra was ready to perform the rituals associated with his anointment. Gaga Bhatta came from Benares to anoint Shivaji by performing the Vedic rituals. Gaga Bhatta’s family had roots in Nanded (Maharashtra), but his reputation was built in Benares. Shivaji rewarded them with sumptuous gifts, so much gold that it was too heavy to carry down the Raigadh fort.

Such evidence does not mean that all Brahmans from Maharashtra opposed Shivaji. The question of Shivaji’s caste and kingly virtues was not a personal one. It was not about this or that particular priest. What was raised by the Brahmans in their objection to Shivaji was the basic question of Chaturvarna, the system of caste. That question remains alive today.

The Dharma of the Brahmans ordains that Shudras cannot be kings. This is because, as the legend suggests, Shudras are born of Prajapita’s feet. It is therefore their religious duty to serve the three upper varnas. God partially exists in a king. It is impossible for God to be present in a Shudra. Thus this religious tradition insists that a Shudra can never become a king. A Muslim can be a king, but a Shudra cannot. This is what the orthodox Hindu religion says. It was religion itself that was opposed to Shivaji’s anointment. It was not the opposition by all Brahmans as such.

In fact there were many Brahmans who lent their hand in constructing the Shivaji’s Swaraj. Dadoji Kondadeo was in charge of the Pune region. Shivaji’s cabinet held important Brahmans — Moropant Pingale (Peshwa), Anaji Datto and Dattaji Trimbak (the latter were also accomplished warriors). When Shivaji escaped from Agra, he was helped along by four Brahmans — Tryambakpant Dabir and Raghunathpant Korde from Maharashtra and Krishnaji Kashi and Visaji from North India.

The objection to Shivaji did not come from Brahmans as such. It came from the tenets of orthodox Hinduism. Shivaji had to accept the historical limitations, some of which pushed him to participate in ridiculous events. At the age of 44, Shivaji allowed Gaga Bhatta to perform his maunjibandhan to counter the objection that he had lost samskaras. He allowed himself to be remarried to the chants of the mantras, and to give away a large amount of gold. All of this to appease orthodox Hinduism so that he could be anointed as king.

Brahmans considered Shivaji to be a Shudra, a man of a low caste. Maratha noblemen who belonged to the 96 Great Families regarded themselves as Kshatriyas, and did not initially accept Shivaji as king. Even though these 96 had no kingdom, they called themselves kings (Raja) or Patils. They would attach the title Raja or Patil to their names, so that they become Shinde Raja, More Raja, Landage Patil, Kolhe Patil, Kale Patil, Vikhe Patil . . . . The habit of attaching Patil to the name is prominent in Ahmednagar district, where almost all Marathas add the title to their names.

Chandrarao More Raja of Jawali, a nobleman of the Shah of Bijapur, was one of the 96. Shivaji tried to enlist More for the cause of Swaraj. Letters and emissaries went to More, who did not respond to these genuine efforts. Shivaji then warnedhim: if Chandrarao did not join Shivaji, Jawali would be captured and More arrested. Shivaji had referred to himself in the letter as “King.” More arrogantly replied, “You, a king? You become a king because you choose to call yourself one. If you are eating your meal, finish it and come to Jawali to wash your hands. Let’s fight!” Shivaji fulfilled More’s wish. He went to war and captured Jawali. The point to note is More’s refusal to accept Shivaji’s claim to kingship.

In short, whether high-caste Brahmans or high-caste Marathas, they were not initially prepared to accept Shivaji Bhonsle as their leader and King. Even today the Marathas who arrange marriages on the basis of caste-family status and traditions treat the persons having the surname Bhonsle as lowly.

An extract from Govind Pansare’s Who Was Shivaji, translated by Uday Narkar, published by LeftWord Books.