How did Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj become the King of the people?
The way the people treat the king is determined by how the king treats the people.
I have known about the heroics of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj since I was a child.
When I was in 4th standard, the whole history book was about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
And now I read about Shivaji Maharaj through books written about him. I recently read a book called Shivaji Kon Hota? by Govind Pansare.
The book mentioned how Shivaji Maharaj had affection towards his people and how a leader should treat the people of the state.
In the modern world, it’s hard to find these qualities in a leader.
Either they won’t listen to problems faced by the people or give promises which of course they won’t deliver.
In this article, let’s get to know how Shivaji Maharaj treated the people of his state.
Farmers -
At that time, the landlords used to charge excessive taxes from farmers. Shivaji Maharaj broke the rule of recovering excessive taxes.
All the lands were calculated. A fixed revenue amount was set as per the calculated land. And he gave orders to recover the fixed revenue from the farmers.
He waived off the revenue during the drought.
He understood that if the crop hasn’t been harvested, then how the farmers will pay. Instead, he helped farmers during the drought.
Respect for women -
Women were robbed of their dignity in broad daylight and no one could complain about it.
Shivaji Maharaj’s approach was different from others.
He gave strict orders that women from any religion should not be troubled during wars or any other occasions.
In 1678, Shivaji Maharaj punished his General Sakuji Gaikwad for raping Savitribai Desai (Belwadi Fort Chief).
The General fought against Savitribai for 27 days. When the General won the war, he raped her.
After hearing about the incident Shivaji Maharaj ordered the removal of the General’s eyes and imprisoned him for life.
Administrative language -
During Shivaji Maharaj’s time, the most used administrative language was Persian. He could speak Persian fluently.
Any language is not bad or good. But people couldn’t understand Persian.
Shivaji Maharaj noticed it and changed the administrative language from Persian to Modi(old Marathi script).
Modi (मोडी) language — Old Marathi script that’s written in one flow without lifting the pen.
Now people started to understand what’s taking place in administrative work. They started to feel Shivaji’s state as their own.
The People -
When Shivaji Maharaj (Father of the Indian Navy) was building his navy, wood was necessary.
At that time, forests were dense and an ample amount of wood was also available.
Still, he gave clear orders on which trees shouldn’t be used for the purpose.
The wood of Mango and Jackfruit trees was great for building ships but he ordered not to touch those trees. These trees don’t grow in 2–3 years.
The people took care of the trees like their babies.
Even if a tree is dying, it should be bought and cut only after the consent of the owner.
He understood the feelings and efforts people put to grow a tree.
Army of Farmers -
Other kings had a permanent standing army. Fighting in the wars was their living.
Shivaji Maharaj’s army was not made of professional soldiers. Most of the soldiers worked on their farms.
On the day of Vijayadashami, they would cross the border and go on military campaigns.
They would return home on the day of Akshaya Tritiya to meet their families and work on their farms.
This was one of the reasons why the army never demolished the crops and never disrespected women and children.
Paid salaries to soldiers:-
Other kings never paid salaries to their soldiers, instead they distributed a part of the loot. Naturally, the soldiers looted as much as possible.
But Shivaji Maharaj stopped the practice of giving a part of the loot to the soldiers.
He started a new practice of depositing all the loot into the treasury and soldiers were given a fixed salary.
As a result, soldiers were not interested in looting more. Whether they got the loot or not, soldiers got their salaries.
Local Business Promotion-
In the modern world, all countries levy taxes on products imported from foreign countries.
Shivaji Maharaj also implemented such a policy by ordering to charge tax on the products imported into the state by foreign traders.
The intention behind the policy was to prevent foreign traders from creating their monopoly and promoting local businesses.
Banned Trading of Slaves -
The Indian men and women were forcefully taken to foreign countries for working as labourers by foreign traders. But he prohibited the trading of slaves from his state.
The foreign traders were warned against doing slave trading. And if found doing so they would be stopped by his army.
A Great King -
If the king cares for the people, then people in turn care ten times for their king.
Shivaji Maharaj’s approach toward his people was different from other kings. He realised the issues faced by them and worked on solving the issues.
He fought against those oppressing the people and not against any religion.
He immensely respected the elders, women and children.
He punished his own people if they didn’t follow his orders.
Shivaji Maharaj took the decisions which were beneficial to the people. He set the example of how Swarajya can be formed.
His ethics made people believe in the concept of forming a Hindavi Swarajya. And people contributed to this cause by considering it as their own work.
And no wonder the Maratha empire at its peak stretched from Peshawar (Present day Pakistan) in the north to Thanjavur (Present day Tamilnadu) in the south.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy was carried forward by his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
There’s a lot to learn from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his life.
Shivaji Maharaj is an inspiration to the younger generation. And it is our responsibility to follow in the footsteps of Shivaji Maharaj to become a better country.
जय भवानी जय शिवाजी🚩
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