Mahārāṣṭra Dharma

 

Mahārāṣṭra Dharma

In 1999, during a month-long tour of Northeast India, I visited the Keshavdham office in Guwahati to learn about the work being carried out in Pūrvāñchal i.e northeast India.  We were sitting in the office, waiting for the people we were to meet, when an elderly man looked inside. Noticing that we were visitors from another place, he politely asked, “Where have you come from? How long have you been travelling? What all have you seen?”

When he learned that we had come from Maharashtra, he asked another question: “Have you visited Raigad?”

We replied, “Yes, we have seen Raigad.”

The moment he heard this, the elderly man immediately bowed down before us in full prostration.

We were startled. “What happened?” we asked.

He sat beside us and said with deep feeling, “Your feet carry the dust of Raigad. The soil of the land where Śivājī Mahārāj lived and walked has touched your feet. I bow to that sacred soil through you.

That moment stayed quietly in my mind. What seemed like a simple gesture carried a deeper meaning.

As the conversation continued, he said something that has stayed in my mind ever since. After a brief pause, he spoke again. Then he said something that made me think deeply.

“For you Marathi people, it may be difficult to fully realise the importance of this. But as an Assamese, I can tell you something. If Śivājī had been born here, we would have been different today. Assam too would have been different. Because Śivājī was born in your land, Mahārāṣṭrians are different. The spirit with which they look at society and the nation is unique, and it comes naturally to them.

“Whether in the freedom struggle or in the social movements that worked for society after independence—whether socialist or Hindutva movements —you will find many examples of this deep social and national commitment among Mahārāṣṭrians.”

He paused and continued: “Many complaints may be made about Marathi people. Doubts may be raised about them. But no one can doubt their love for the nation. Because Śiva-bhāva—the spirit of freedom and Swarājya—has entered the very soil and waters of Maharashtra. After all, Śivājī was born there.”

He spoke generously about us. His words sounded like praise, but they also raised a question within me. His appreciation slowly turned into a question in my mind.: Where do we stand today in relation to that Śiva-bhāva?

Last year, an experience in Māvaḷ surfaced that question back after many years.

Last year, Śreyasdādā, Praṇavdādā, and I travelled to the Māvaḷ region while preparing for a Sahādhyāya Din i.e Experiential Learning Day. We were visiting villages in the Kāri and Bhor areas. Our purpose was simple. We were searching for something beyond what books tell us.

In history books we often read only a single line about certain families—families who stood with Śivājī Mahārāj when he began building Swarājya in Māvaḷ. Some had joined him after persuasion; others after overcoming their doubts and opposition.

We wondered: could we meet the descendants of those families today? Could we see the historical objects preserved in their homes? Could we hear the stories of their ancestors from them directly?

Our journey was a small effort towards preparing such a visit.

During this trip, we visited the villages and ancestral houses of several chieftain families such as the Jedhes, Khopdes, Bandals, and Śiḷīmkar. While interacting with people, three small conversations left a deep impression on me to raise deeper questions.

Our first stop was village Kāri. We visited the Jedhe Wāḍā. We listened to the descendants speak about the courage and leadership of Kānhōjī Jedhe and saw some old historical objects preserved by the family. Kānhōjī Jedhe was a loyal Māvaḷ sardar who strongly supported Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and helped mobilize the Māvaḷ region for the cause of Swarājya.

After coming out of the Wāḍā, we asked a few villagers sitting nearby, “Where is the village of the Khopdes?”

They asked us, “Why are you wandering around?”

When we told them that we had come to study the life and work of Śivājī Mahārāj, they replied, “You want to meet the people who helped Śivājī Mahārāj, right? Then what is the connection with the Khopdes? (Khandoji Khopde was a Maval sardar who opposed Chhatrapati Śivājī Mahārāj and sided with Afzal Khan during the Pratāpgad campaign.) Why go there and visit their? Do not go there.”

They refused to give us any information. It made me wonder how memory shapes our understanding of history.

Later we reached Ambāvaḍe. There is a suspension bridge there, and nearby stand the memorials of Kānhōjī Jedhe and Jīvā Mahālā. Jīvā Mahālā was the brave bodyguard of Śivājī Mahārāj who saved his life by killing Sayyad Banda during the encounter with Afzal Khan at Pratāpgad. 

Kānhōjī Jedhe’s memorial is simple, while the memorial of Jīvā Mahālā has been beautifully maintained by his descendants.

During our conversation, someone villager casually remarked, “Does this make sense? How can a servant’s memorial stand next to that of his master? Which memorial should be larger? After all Kānhōjī was Chieftain and Jīvā Mahālā was a soldier.”

It revealed how we sometimes see history through narrow lenses.

From there we went to Pisāvare. In the Battle of Pāvan Khind, the Chieftain Bandal’s army displayed extraordinary bravery. One of their commanders was Bājī Prabhu Deśapāṇḍe. We visited the memorials of the Bandal warriors.

An elderly local man said with a hint of disappointment, “What came of all that bravery? The Brahmin’s name became famous. What about us?”

These three responses stayed with me throughout the day and by evening, these three conversations were echoing in my mind.

Perhaps one member of the Khopde family had opposed Swarājya out of fear or self-interest. But surely later generations may have joined the cause of Swarājya or fought against the British. Yet we continue to judge an entire family lineage through the lens of a single incident.

Kānhōjī Jedhe and Jīvā Mahālā fought together in the Battle of Pratāpgad. We often say, “Because Jīvā was there, Śivā survived.” But instead of feeling proud that such a brave man came from among their own people, someone asks, “How can a servant’s memorial stand beside his master’s?”

After the Battle of Pāvan Khind, Śivājī Mahārāj himself honoured the Bandals in his court. In truth, when Bājī Prabhu’s name became immortal, the glory belonged to the Bandal family as well as Bājī was part of Bandal forces. Yet the feeling remained: “The Brahmin’s name became famous—not ours.”

Today we proudly speak of Maharashtra’s valour. We raise slogans and celebrate heroic memories. Yet somewhere deep within, resentment, dissatisfaction, and grievance about each other quietly remain.

It was upon witnessing Śivājī Mahārāj’s actions that Samarth Rāmdās gave the mantra.

“Marāṭhā titukā meḷavāvā, Mahārāṣṭra dharma vadhavāvā.”

(“Bring together to unite every Maratha; strengthen Mahārāṣṭra Dharma.”)

Mahārāṣṭra Dharma is a historical–cultural ideal that emerged during the time of Chhatrapati Śivājī Mahārāj and was articulated strongly by Samarth Rāmdās Svāmī. It refers to the collective duty, unity, and ethical responsibility of people from different sections of society to protect the people, uphold dharma, and build just self-rule (Swarājya).

Mahārāṣṭra Dharma does not mean a regional religion. In the seventeenth century, large parts of Bhārat were under imperial rule. Society was divided and politically weak at that time. The work of Śivājī Mahārāj aimed to unite local communities, restore dignity and security to the people, and establish Swarājya—self-rule based on dharma.

Although the term mentions Mahārāṣṭra, its scope was never narrow or regional. Śivājī Mahārāj’s vision included the protection of all communities, defence of sacred places, justice for common people, and resistance to injustice and oppression. Because of this, the values of Mahārāṣṭra Dharma naturally expanded into Rāṣṭra-dharma—the duty towards the entire nation.

Justice, Dharma, and Concern for Bhārat : When the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb reimposed the Jizya tax, Śivājī Mahārāj wrote to him objecting to it. He reminded the emperor that a ruler must treat all subjects with fairness, regardless of their faith, and that such a tax placed hardship on the people. Śivājī Mahārāj also showed concern for sacred centres like Kāśī and the temples of Bhārat, reflecting that his vision of dharma was connected with the well-being and civilizational heritage of the entire land, not limited to Mahārāṣṭra.

Counsel to Mirza Raja Jai Singh: During the events surrounding the Mughal campaign in the Deccan (1665), Śivājī Mahārāj is remembered for expressing to Mirza Raja Jai Singh that Indian rulers should not fight among themselves for imperial interests. Instead, they should think in terms of a larger duty towards their own land and society. This appeal reflects an early articulation of Rāṣṭra-dharma—placing the welfare of the country above factional alliances.

Inspiration to Chhatrasal Bundela: The Bundela leader Chhatrasal is said to have met Śivājī Mahārāj in his youth. Inspired by the idea of Swarājya, he later returned to Bundelkhand and began a struggle to establish independent rule there. This interaction shows how the idea of self-rule based on dharma spread beyond Mahārāṣṭra, influencing leaders in other regions of Bhārat.

The spirit behind the Third Battle of Panipat: Nearly a century after Śivājī Mahārāj, the Maratha forces marched north to confront the Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani. The conflict was not simply a regional war. Maratha leaders saw it as a struggle to prevent foreign domination and to protect the political order of northern India. Their campaign reflected the same broader outlook—that the responsibility of safeguarding the land of Bhārat was not confined to one region. More than one lakh people sacrificed their lives for this cause.

These examples show that while the phrase Mahārāṣṭra Dharma arose in a regional context, its guiding values—protection of sacred heritage, unity among Indian rulers, inspiration for self-rule in other regions, and defence of the wider land of Bhārat—naturally expanded into Rāṣṭra-dharma, the duty towards the entire nation of Bhārat.

But today it sometimes seems that Maharashtra is getting trapped in the pride of narrow identities. In doing so, are we forgetting the deeper essence of Mahārāṣṭra Dharma?

The real test today is not of slogans. It is not of demonstrations of power. The real test is whether the spirit of Mahārāṣṭra Dharma still lives within us?

Chhatrapati Śivājī Mahārāj united people from many sections of societyand established a sacred kingdom. It was on the strength of that Mahārāṣṭra Dharma that people later fought Aurangzeb and his successors from village to village and home to home.

Today on the occasion of Śivājī Mahārāj Jayanti (Birth anniversary), I remember the words of that Assamese gentleman once said, we must recommence our resolve to nurture that Mahārāṣṭrian spirit—that living essence of Mahārāṣṭra Dharma. As for even today, many people across India look towards Mahārāṣṭra as a living example of national duty inspired by Śivājī’s ideals. And that’s why  Bhāratīya citizens have faith in Mahārāṣṭrīyan, Perhaps the deeper reason is simple as in this land of Mahārāṣṭra , Chhatrapati Śivājī Mahārāj was born.

“Bhāratīya titukā meḷavāvā, Bhāratīya dharma vadhavāvā.”

(“Bring together every Bhāratīya; strengthen Bhāratīya Dharma.”)

Prashant Divekar

Jnana Prabodhini, Pune