Swatantryveer Savarkar: Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History

Swatantryveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was born in Marathi Chitpavan Brahmin Hindu family on 28 May 1883 in Bhagur village of today’s Nashik District in Maharashtra. He was exceptionally gifted with many talents. He was inspired by revolutionary activities since his childhood. He formed the ‘Mitra Mela’ along with his childhood friends at his village and pondered over freeing his motherland from the atrocious clutches of foreign rule. For his higher studies he enrolled in Fergusson College in Pune and there too he formed the ‘Abhinav Bharat’- a revolutionary organization for India’s independence. Nothing could deter him from his immense love for his motherland. He was expelled from Fergusson College owing to his involvement in the revolutionary activities but he remained unfazed. He completed his studies at Fergusson with flying colors and went to London for his studies in Law. He got inducted in the ‘India House’ run by Indian Revolutionary Shyamji Krishna Verma upon the recommendation from Lokmanya Tilak.

His love for motherland did not cease to exist either because of lure or fear. While in England too, he established ‘Free India Society’ and took charge of revolutionary activities on the foreign land at India House. He regularly wrote to his friends in India to keep their morals up for the cause of motherland. He published the translated autobiography of an Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, ‘The Indian War of Independence 1857’ and the history of Sikhs in Marathi. His writings primarily aimed at inspiring Indian youth for Indian freedom struggle through revolutionary means. He extensively wrote on various topics all through his life. Here we will primarily discuss his work ‘Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History’ originally written in Marathi with a title ‘Saha Soneri Pane’. This book captures the six glorious achievements by Indian kings and warriors who united the vast territory of India and saved the land from foreign aggressions or snatched the rule from foreigners to establish the Sanatan traditions of Bharat.

Swatantryveer Savarkarji’s love for his motherland and its historical glory reflects in his various writings in the form of poems and prose. It’s important to note that the word ‘Matrubhumi’ meaning motherland is the very gift of Bharat to the world which in Arabic tradition was called ‘Madere Watan’ and in English literature they called motherland. This is not a new terminology implied for the land of our birth but has its antecedents in an age old Bhartiy philosophy as propounded by various sage and seers of various Bhartiy traditions of knowledge. It’s meaning range far beyond the cantors of poetic imagination.

Savarakarji’s love for his motherland is manifested in these traditions of knowledge. Moreover, he goes beyond mere interpretation of the notions of matter and consciousness that form crux of various schools of thoughts in Bhartiya philosophy. He challenged Bhartiya people to go beyond such empty interpretations and introspect on why their motherland was in the kind of state that it was in. By saying so, he intended to tell them that their motherland which was the centre of world’s knowledge and power could not hold on to its leadership role because her sons forgot to worship ‘Shakti’ to keep their Mother’s strength unchallenged.

Savarkarji’s entire life and work, his all literature symbolizes the worship of ‘Shakti’ meaning power and does not have place for weakness or meekness. He was an inborn patriot and this trait in his personality can be ascribed to various impressions on his mind such as many foreign invasions on Bharat and the atrocities that were perpetrated on Bhartiya people. One must not assign his patriotism to a particular development or humiliation that he was personally subjected to but to the knowledge that he inherited since his childhood. As said earlier he laid emphasis on strength and the same can be seen his works of translation of ‘Josef Mazzini’s Autobiography’ and ‘India’s First War of Indipendance: 1857’ which he completed in 1908 while he was studying in London. The book ‘India’s First War of Indipendance: 1857’ had explosive revelations about Bhartiy aspirations for Independence which British portrayed as sepoy mutiny. British found it highly inflammatory and banned its publication in England and therefore had to be published in Paris and Netherlands. Sardar Bhagat Singh somehow managed to get its copy in Lahore and circulated the book among revolutionaries.

Even while he was imprisoned in the dreaded cellular jail, he did not stop writing. Because he did not have access to pen and paper, he wrote on the walls of the cell, which he was put into, with whatever means such as piece of coal or chisel. He would memorize all that he had written, erase and write again and memorize. This he continued till he was there in the Andaman’s cellular jail. After Sawarkji was released and put into house arrest in the district of Ratnagiri, he rewrote all he had written and memorized. This was later published with the title ‘Kamla’ which is considered to be one his great literary works. There are more than two dozen published works of Sawarkarji which we can have access to in the market. Sawarkarji’s writings are rich and varied. He wrote poetry, essays, plays and books on history.

As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, I would discuss his book “Six Glorious Epochs of Indian History” here. In this book Sawarkarji has tried to re-invoke the glorious past of Hindu society which he tries to look through Bhartiy view rather than merely depending on the historiography as narrated by the westerners. In “Six Historical Epochs of Indian History”, unlike the colonial and colonized historians, Sawarkarji takes back wheels of Bhartiy history to the invasion of Alexander on India in 326 BC. There exists no evidence of such an invasion on Bharat in the literature to be found in the Bharatiya historiography. But the Greek writers have mentioned candidly about it.

Magasthenes, in his ‘Indica’ described Bharat as a society which resurges out of its ashes like Phoenix. However, Sawarkarji has said that Bhartiy history is far older than the Alexander’s invasion and its roots can date back to thousands of years if meticulously researched. The excavations carried out at Sonawali and Rakhigarhi and the evidences found therein change the entire historiographical discourse of Bharat’s history. As per some estimates the Mahabharat took place on this soil some five thousand years ago before the Jesus Christ’s birth. If so, then what must have been Lord Rama’s period in the history? There is a strong need to resurrect discourse on Indian history with fresh outlooks.

Sawarkarji identifies the first glorious epoch of Bhartiy history as Alexander did not venture beyond Ganga while he was on his spree to conquer Bhartiy territory. He did so not because of his virtuous character but his army generals informed him that there was waiting a huge Bhartiy army at Magadha to take on them. Sensing the revolt in his army, Alexander went back to Persia the Kingdome conquered two years before invading Bharat. Soon after the exit of Alexander form Bharat, Emperor Chandragupta Morya under the ablest guidance of his master Chanakya at Taxila Unviersity mobilized army and established his power at Magadh Empire. They succeeded in uniting small separatist states into one united empire and uprooted the antecedents of Greek power on Bhartiy territory.

The second glorious epoch of Indian history as identified by Sawarakarji is ascendancy of Pushyamitra Shunga at the throne of Patliputra of Magad Empire. King Brihadratha Maurya, the last Mauryan Emperor was meek and the strength of Bharat was on decline. There was imminent danger of Greek invasion but he was not doing anything to contain that. Therefore, Pushyamitra Shunga who was chief commander of Maurayan Army and staunch follower of Veidik Religion assassinated him and established himself as a ruler. He consolidated the weakening Magadha Empire and defeated Manender, a Greek King who invaded India. He uprooted the Greek power that was established in Bharat again because of willy-nilly policies of King Brihadratha that had put excessive emphasis on certain Budhist practices like non-violence that promoted non martial attributes among people. He reestablished the glory Veidik Religion.

Sawarkarji identifies the reign of Vikramaditya Chandragupta II from the Gupta dynasty as the third glorious epoch of Bhartiy history. The Shakas and Kushan hoards from Central Asia invaded Bharat and established their rule in India. These ferocious nomadic warriors were so totally defeated by Chandragupta II on Bhartiy territory and established himself as a powerful ruler. He adopted the title of Vikramditya and began Vikrama  Samvat era in 57 BC. He is also known as Shakal Vikramaditya meaning the one who defeated Shakas. He established the glory of Bharat’s Sanatan culture again.

The valor of Skandagupta Vikramaditya, the grandson of Chandragupta Vikramaditya happens to be the fourth glorious epoch of Bhartiy history. He defeated the powerful conquest of Bharat by Hunas, a group of Central Asian Tribes somewhere near the Chinese territory. Sawarkarji writes the Hunas were the most terrible, barbaric and uncivilized tribal fighters who had devastated the Roman, Greek, Egyptian and almost all the empires in the world. Owing to the fear of their invasion Chinese rulers had to raise the Great Wall of China. They had entered the Bhartiy territory through Kheibar pass and destroyed the magnificent Taxila University with all its treasure of knowledge. They had also greatly weakened the Gupta Empire. But Skandagupta stood to the occasion at the age of twenty five or twenty six years and fought incessantly for 12 years when nobody in the Gupta Empire was ready to take on the challenge posed by the Hunas. The Hunas were either killed or had to leave Bharat or had to merge themselves in Vedik culture because of Skandagupta’s fear. The Bhitari pillar inscription eulogizes the valor of Skandagupta as…

“by whose two arms the earth was shaken, when he, the creator of a terrible whirlpool , joined in close conflict with the Hunas; among enemies… arrows… proclaimed …just as if it were the roaring of the Ganga, making itself noticed in the ears of his enemies.”

The Junagadh inscription mentions Skandagupta’s success against the mlechchhas (the foreign invader Hunas):

…..whose (Skandagupta’s) fame, moreover, even (his) enemies, in the countries of the mlechchhas, having their pride broken down to the very root, announce with the words “verily the victory has been achieved by him.”

The valor of Marathas that established the glory of Hidutva with saffron flag as its symbol that range from Attock to Cuttack and bravery of Maharaja Ranjitsing that overpowered the Musalman rulers in India is identified as the fifth glorious epoch of Bhartiy History. From Peshva Bajirao I to Raghunathrao had marched all the way from Maharashtra to Delhi and beyond to establish the Hindupadpadshahi instituted by Shivaji Maharaj. Sawarkarji wrote the battle of Panipat must not be assigned much of importance but the political developments thereafter which made the Moughal emperors in Delhi dependant on Marathas should be looked at as glorious epoch of history. The sixth and the last epoch as mentioned by Sawarkarji shold be read as withdrawal of British rule from India. He says the empire that’s Sun never set, as was said, had to see it setting on the Indian soil.

In conclusion I would say, Sawarkarji means Freedom (Swantantrya), Sawarkarji means self rule (Swarajya), Sawarkarji means self-dharma (Swadharma), Sawarkarji means idea of a (Bhartiy) nation (swarashtra), Sawarkarji means immortal (awinashi), Sawarkarji means fearless and godly person (Adipurush, Nirbhaypurush). Sawarkarji can be seen in the lines of a poem written Late. Shri Atalji….

                                             मैं आज पुरुष निर्भयता का वरदान लिए आया भूपर

पय पीकर सब मरते आये, मैं अमर हुआ लो विष पीकर

अधरों की प्यास बुझाई है मैंने पीकर वह आग प्रखर

हो जाती दुनिया भस्मसात जिसको पल भर में ही छूकर

भय से व्याकुल फिर दुनिया ने प्रारम्भ किया मेरा पूजन

मैं नर नारायण नीलकंठ बन गया न इसमें कुछ संशय

हिन्दू तन-मन, हिन्दू जीवन, रग-रग हिन्दू मेरा परिचय।

 

Challenging the Challenge to the Idea of Bharat

Bharat is a melting pot of various cultures and traditions coming from all sides of the world and mingling into one broader identity. Speaking at the International Judicial Conference held at New Delhi on February 22, 2020 CJI Sharad Bobde echoed the same. In his influential book, Religious Thought and Life in India Monier-Williams, an eminent Oxford Sanskritist, writes, “based on the idea of universal receptivity”      Hinduism has “first born with and then, so to speak, swallowed digested, and assimilated something from all creeds.” The Shakas, the Kushans, the Parthians, the Huns etc. came in Bharat and became part of Bhartiya culuture.

In 1893 at the Chicago’s Parliament of the World Religions, Swami Vivekanand had invoked the same values from India’s age old philosophy of Vedanta. In yet another speech delivered in India he had said, “The problems in India are more complicated, momentous than the problems in any other country. Race, religion, language, and government all these together make a nation. One common ground we have is our sacred tradition, our religion. That’s the only common ground and upon that we shall have to build. The unity in religion, therefore, is absolutely necessary as the first condition for the future of India. There must be recognition of one religion throughout the length and the breadth of this land. Union of India must be a gathering of its scattered spiritual forces. Nation in India must be a union of those whose hearts beat for a nation in India to the same spirituality.”

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in his speech at Shantiniketan in September, 1932 had observed “Each country has its own inner geography where a spirit dwells and where physical force can never conquer even an inch of ground”. A week later while paying tribute to Gandhiji on his birthday he had said, “India is not merely a geographical entity but is a living truth which they (Indians) live, move and have.” The above observations of our great men in relation to Bharat lay emphasis on spiritual dimensions that have been conceptualized by our great sages and seers from time immemorial.

The adherents of this spirituality engage themselves in permanent quest for truth. This truth is not something revealed by God or a prophet, but something that is to be searched by prayer, meditation, good conduct and experience. This quest, for them, persists till the end of one’s life. Religion is an experience that reveals God to them. Swantatryaveer Savarkar had further explained this idea saying, “Let Hinduism concern itself with the salvation of life of the death, the concept of the God and the Universe. Let individual be free to form opinion about it. The whole universe from one end to the other is the real book of religion. But so far as the materialistic and secular aspects are concerned the Hindus are a common culture, common history, common language, common country and common region”.

Are Janjatis of Bharat the Part of this Spiritual Civilization?

The janjati communities are extremely diverse in many aspects of their social and community life as are other people in Bharat from north to south and east to west. Beliefs and ideas such as God, soul, living species, life-or-death, afterlife etc. found in Hindus also exist in janjatis. They consider their motherland a sacred land and worship her. Their life is influenced by Purusharthas- Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha the four objects of human pursuit. Dr. G. S. Ghurye, a renowned sociologist in his book, The Scheduled Tribes of India has observed, “Though for the sake of convenience they may be designated the tribal classes of Hindu society, suggesting thereby the social fact that they have retained much more of the tribal creeds and organization than many of the castes of Hindu society, yet they are in reality Backward Hindus.”

A careful look at the traditions and cultural ethos followed by the plane dwelling and forest dwelling communities does reveal that their exists diversity in the unity at the root. Janjatis worship nature, different animals, trees and mother earth so do the other Hindus. Their notions in relation to changes in the universe, nature cycles and seasons are intimately connected with different folklores and arts and festivals like other communities of Bharat. They too follow a lunisolar time reckoning system and have notions of a leap month and leap day like other Hindus. The practice of animal sacrifice can also be found in Hindus. The janjatis residing at far off places like on the borders of states of Mizoram and Assam worship Ganga, a sacred river of Bharat. So where does the difference exist?

Moreover, we can cite numerous examples of harmonious coexistence between and among various communities residing in planes, hills and forests from ancient time to the present one. The Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata are replete with anecdotes that portray intermingling of these cultures. Acharya Vinoba Bhave held Rigveda as the text of the janjatis. Many scholars believe the ‘panchjanas’ mentioned in the Rigveda consisted of a person each from the brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras and nishads- a janjati community and commanded equal status. The references of the the sabaras or the saoras could be traced to Aittareya Brahman. Many romantic and friendly descriptions of the janjatis can be found in the ancient Sanskrit literature like Panchatantra, Kathasarit Sagar, Vishnu Purarn etc.

Shabari, who offered fruits to Rama, has become in Verrier Elwin’s words, “a symbol of the contributions that tribes can and will make to the life of India.” The janjatis had a very important and honorable place in the Ramayana. Vali and Sugriva have been mentioned of as the most glorious kings of the janjati society in the Ramayana. Most of the then known janjatis have been described to have participated in the Mahabharata and its innumerable episodes. Eklavya, a Bhil, has been described as an ideal disciple and embodiment of sacrifice. The Mahabharata has ample descriptions of janjati kingdoms and warriors fighting both to the sides of Pandavas and Kauravas. Bhima’s son Ghatotkacha who performs prodigies of valor in the war is born of his janjati wife Hindimba; Arjuna marries Uloopi, a Naga princess.

There are many evidences in the medieval and modern history of Bharat when people of the janjati communities fought shoulder to shoulder with Maharana Pratap, Chatrapti Shivaji Maharaj and Tatya Tope in defense of Dharama and Rashtra. How can we forget the contributions Mahadev Kolis in various battles fought by the soldiers of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Furthermore, in many parts of India they rose up against British and joined the India’s struggle for independence. To name some of the heroes of uprisings against British are Bhagwan Birsa Munda from Jharkhand, Umaji Naik from Maharashtra, Tantya Bheel from Madhya Pradesh, Alluri Sitaram Raju from Andhra Pradesh, and Rani Gaidinliu from Nagaland, Matmur Jamoh from Arunchal Pradesh, Pa Togan Sangma from Garo Hills, Meghalaya.

The Challenge

The lynching of Kalpvriksha Giri Maharaj and Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver Nelesh Telgade in Gadhchinchale village in Palghar district of Maharashtra primarily inhabited by janjatis is a wakeup call. However, this is not isolated or sporadic incident. As per the observations of some local residents the violence in certain parts of Palghar district is looming large since 1980s. Many recently conducted ground zero reports have revealed that the left wing and Christian Missionary organizations such as Adivasi Ekata Parishad, Bhumisena, Kashtkari Sanghtana etc. have been unleashing violence against Hindu organizations and individuals for a long time now. To name few- in 1980 the anti-social elements connected to such tendencies attacked Hindu Seva Sangh in huge numbers.  In the same way the gang of some 700-800 people attacked the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, Talasari on August14, 1991. In both the incidents many activists associated with both the organizations were gravely injured. In yet another incident, Pathalgarhi stones were erected on the entrances of Chikhale and Kosbad villages in the Dahanu tahsil as recently as in 2019 proclaiming those villages don’t recognize India’s constitution and provisions in the criminal law; neither would they cooperate with officials.

In Jharkhand the Pathalgarhi extremists kidnapped and later killed seven villagers in West Singhbhum district on January 21, 2020. This kind of barbarism associated with the Pathalgarhi movement is not first of its kind. In June 2018, five women of an NGO, who were in Khunti district to raise awareness against human trafficking were abducted and raped by these so called activists. The Pathalgarhi movement was started with the intention of spreading awareness about the Panchayat (Extension of Scheduled Area) Act of 1996. But unfortunately the movement seems to have fallen in the hands of anti-Bharat elements that are challenging the sovereignty of the state.

Similarly many such incidents have taken place in the east and north east parts of Bharat. Swami Lakshmananand Saraswati was assassinated by Cristo-Maoist gangs on August 23, 2008 in Kandhmal district of Odisha on the auspicious of day of Janmashtami. Bah Rijoy Singh Khongshah from Khasi Hills of Meghalaya was abducted and murdered on March1, 2001 by Christian terrorist associated with HNLC for his attempts to serve the Niam Tynrai faith. Recently on May 27, 2019 Christian miscreants associated with Presbyterian Church vandalized the Niam Khasi place of worship at Khongthong village under Shohra Police station in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Swami Shanti Kali Maharaj of Tripura was killed in the same manner on August 27, 2000 by Christian militants belonging to the separatist organization NLFT.

The above incidents do have parallels to be drawn and therefore the urgency of the situations demands immediate attention. Evangelical missions in India in collaboration with the leftwing extremists are hell-bent upon disturbing the harmonious social life of Bharat thereby weakening its cultural fabric. As a part of their dubious conspiracy they are working overtime to create fissure between different communities to weaken the Bharat that’s diverse still united with its age old cultural values. For that the cristo-leftist gangs are using social media applications such as whatsaap and spewing venom against Hindu faith, its saints, organization working for Hindu cause and their activists.

They project Rawana and Mahishasura as the cultural icons of janjatis and say that their Gods are different. Then how come nobody is named after these so called heroes?  On the other hand janjatis in Palghar, for example, name their sons and daughters like other non-janjati communities. Their traditional dance forms and folklores depict Ram, Lakshman, Shankar, Mahadev, Ganga Gouri and so on. The main Pujari of the Lord Shiva’s temple in the tahsil is from the janjati community. The main priests of the two temples of Goddess Mahalakshmi in the district are from janjatis.

It is therefore while we device mechanisms to counter the incumbent challenge, it’s equally important to redress the injustice that the janjatis of Bharat have been subjected to even after so many years of independence. That only will prevent the gulf from taking monstrous shape in future.