Shivaji : Jijabai was no ordinary woman.
She was the daughter of the mighty
Sardar Lakhujirao Jadhav and the wife
of the brave and valiant Shahaji Raje.
She had inherited the knowledge of
politics and warfare from her infancy. In
her was witnessed the confluence of the
martial traditions of the famous Houses
of the Jadhavs and Bhonsales. She was a
freedom loving person with a great sense
of pride. She had learnt through bitter
experience that however much a Maratha
Sardar displayed valour, it was not
appreciated in the courts of the Sultans.
She had valiantly faced the shock of
her father’s murder in the open court at
the instigation of Nizamshah. She had
resolved that her son Shivaji would never
be engaged in the services of others. He
would establish the rule of his own people
- Swaraj. She was bringing up Shivaji
with that ideal.
The people living in the Maval region
were called Mavlas. They were loyal,
hardworking and quick-footed. No one
could surpass them in hardiness. But they
were harassed by the Sultans’ rule. The
armies of the Sultans used to plunder their
villages, forcing the people to abandon
their places. Nobody cared for them.
Shivaji yearned to do something for these
poor, miserable people.
On returning home, Shivaji would
talk about this to his mother. Jijabai would
say, “Shivba, Shri Ramchandra is the
ancestor of the Bhonsales. Rama killed
Ravan and made his people happy. The
ancestor of the Jadhavs is Shri Krishna.
He killed Kans and brought relief to his
people. You are a descendant of both
Shri Rama and Shri Krishna. You can
also destroy the wicked and make your
subjects happy.”
These words of Jijabai were a source
of inspiration to young Shivaji. He would
remember the brave deeds of heroes of the
past like Rama, Krishna, Bhim, Arjun.
He thought of them all the time, whether
asleep or awake. He felt that he, too, must
fight against injustice as they did, and
like them, destroy the wicked and bring
happiness to his subjects. He thought that
he should become courageous and brave
like these heroes of old.
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