by Ranjit Desai
‘Let me try.’
Sambhaji Kavji asked the men to move away and said, ‘When I lift the wheels, push the cart forward.’
Sambhaji took a deep breath, spat on his palms and got down to work. His chest was swollen and the muscles in his arms were bulging with the effort, the veins standing out, threatening to burst. The wheels creaked and before the others realized what was happening, the wheels had been taken out of the mud. The men pulled the cart forward to the shouts of ‘Har Har Mahadev!’
Raje looked at Sambhaji and said, his voice full of approval, ‘Sambhaji, I have seen your strong body before but today I’ve had the chance to see the strength within it.’
‘Maharaj, this fellow is really strong. He can eat half a goat for one meal. He is able to pull a horse on his own!’ said Tanaji.
‘Tanaji, be careful. I don’t want the evil eye to fall upon him—let us not praise him too openly!’
‘But how can the evil eye fall on him? His huge frame won’t fit into one eye!’
Everyone laughed heartily at Tanaji’s joke.
After ensuring that Shivapattan and Rajgad were ready, Shivaji decided to visit Jawali to see the preparations there.
Jijabai said, ‘Raje, must you go in such weather?’
‘Maa saheb, Khan has not reached Wai yet and this is a good chance for me to see how things are in Jawali. Please stay here as this place is safe.’
‘How can we feel safe when you are out of the fort?’
‘Maa saheb, your duty is as important as mine. You need to take care of Shambhu Raje, the heir to the throne. I am, in any case, available at your call.’
It was easy to say goodbye to Jijabai but not to Saibai. She had been bedridden and received Shivaji with a weak smile. She said, ‘Don’t worry about me. Go without hesitation and defeat that Khan.’
‘You think defeating him is so easy?’
‘I don’t know, but I do know that since the day he desecrated the Tulja Bhawani and Vithoba, his days have been numbered.’
Shivaji touched Maa saheb’s feet before departing in the torrential rains. At the same time, Khan and his cantonment were slowly moving towards Wai. Jawali had taken on a look of a cantonment. Shivaji personally visited each village despite the relentless rain and the long barrelled cannons from Kalyan were placed in position at Pratapgad.
The monsoon soon ended and the valley looked green and captivating. At night, the sight of the burning maashals everywhere was captivating. Shivaji camped at Pratapgad and had decided that he would not leave Jawali, irrespective of Khan’s movements. He was sure that Khan would camp at Wai and the town was a stone’s throw from Pratapgad. And yet, the dense gorge and jungles made getting to Pratapgad almost impossible. It was an appropriate place to confront an enemy like Khan and Shivaji settled down to wait for Khan to make the first move.
At this time, Shivaji also received an invitation from Aurangzeb, asking him to come to Delhi for his coronation. This was an expected move since Aurangzeb knew how to play the role of a good host and would not show his true colours on such an occasion.
Soon thereafter, Shivaji received a summons from Rajgad that Saibai’s health had deteriorated greatly, and with a heavy heart, he left Pratapgad.
#
On seeing Firangoji’s worried face, as he dismounted, Shivaji asked, ‘Firangoji, how is Rani saheb?’
‘Not good …’
It was evening and the mashaals burnt brightly. Normally, Shivaji’s arrival would herald an atmosphere of happiness. There would be men scurrying around everywhere. But this evening was silent. There was not a smile on a single face. As he stepped into the palace, Shivaji noticed that the sardars, Peshwa and Amatya were standing with their heads down, their hands clasped behind their backs.
The moment Shivaji touched Jijabai’s feet, she burst into tears.
‘Maa saheb, have faith in the Lord.’
‘Raje, we have tried everything possible from medicines to pujas. I have prayed to the Lord, promised him different rituals and penances and held kirtans. I am willing to give my life for her—if only she would get better!’
‘Maa saheb, control yourself. If such wishes could be granted, then I too would give up my life for Sai. But the Lord moves in mysterious ways.’
He then entered Saibai’s quarters. Saibai managed a weak smile and said, ‘You came all the way to see me, did you? There is nothing to worry about really.’
Shivaji touched her forehead—her fever was raging. He said, ‘I did not come because I received an urgent message, Sai. I was feeling restless and wanted to see you.’
‘I am so happy to see you,’ she said. Tears fell down her cheeks onto her pillow. Shivaji could not bear the sight of her tears and said, ‘What is this, Sai? Why are you crying?’
Sai pulled herself up, trying to sit and said, ‘I am happy to see you. Let my tears flow. I had never imagined that I would have the fortune of seeing your feet again.’
‘Don’t worry, I am not going anywhere till you get better. You just rest now.’
Shivaji went to his room. The curtains blew in the soft breeze and the chief physician gave him an update on Saibai’s health. The situation did not look encouraging and Manohari came in when the physician said, ‘We have tried everything possible, Maharaj. But the weakness does not seem to get better. In fact, she is becoming weaker day by day.’
Shivaji stood at the window, looking outside, and did not respond. Unable to be alone, he went to Jijabai’s quarters.
Jijabai sat on her bed with a pandit, looking at an astrological almanac.
Shivaji asked, ‘What are you studying, Maa saheb?’
‘I am looking at Sai’s horoscope.’
The priest said, ‘There is nothing to worry about, Raje. She should recover from here. The next few days are risky but then it should all be well.’
That night, Shivaji was relieved to see Saibai sleep soundly. He woke up to the sound of the morning bugles and the sunlight was streaming in from the eastern window.
He met Jijabai after his bath and she too seemed relieved.
As he returned from the temple, a servant came in running and said, ‘Hurry! Rani saheb is feeling restless.’
Shivaji ran towards Saibai’s quarters. Seeing the physician there, he asked, ‘Vaidyaraj?’
The physician could not utter a word. Instead, tears were flowing down his cheeks. Shivaji said, his voice choked with emotions, ‘Don’t cry. Just tell me the truth!’
‘I feel helpless; there is nothing I am able to do to help.’
Shivaji touched Saibai’s forehead, and it was burning hot. She opened her eyes and he held her hand—her palms felt cold.
Saibai asked, ‘What did the physician say?’
‘He said there is nothing to worry.’
Saibai gave a weak smile and said, ‘He is right. Now there is nothing more to worry about!’
Shivaji could not hold back his tears now and exclaimed, ‘Sai!’
‘I know everything—we would not have been left alone otherwise. I don’t want to say goodbye with tears in our eyes. I want to see you smile.’
‘Sai, we have just begun the consolidation of our Swaraj. Do you not want to see my dreams being fulfilled? There is lot of work to do and I need you here.’
‘I never wait to see the end, do I? Even when we played chess, you always complained that I would get up halfway through. I am leaving this world similarly. I could not feed my child my milk, I could not give him my love. I feel that I have not been able to do anything properly.’
‘Sai …’ Shivaji’s voice choked.
‘I am worried Shambhu will be orphaned. Take care of him because he now has no one but you. You are both his mother and his father.’
Shivaji’s tears continued unabashed. He said, ‘Sai, I promise you, I will love him with all my life.’ Raje covered his face with his hands and was unable to breathe. He heard Sai’s soft voice ask, ‘Won’t you look at me once?’
Sai’s
voice sounded strange and Shivaji removed his hands to look at her. A smile played on her lips and the next moment, her neck went limp. The light had gone out of her eyes. He gently closed her eyes. She was in her eternal sleep now.
As he walked out of the room, as if in a trance, he mumbled, ‘Maa saheb! Rani saheb has left us and gone on her solitary journey.’
Cries of despair rent the palace as the tragic news spread.
#
It was well past midnight. The thousand-wick lamp burnt brightly. Shivaji was restless, and sleep eluded him as he stood at the window, soothed by the cool breeze. Looking at the brightly lit sky he muttered, ‘There may be a million stars in the sky, and yet the moon has its own place!’
The wicks fluttered in a sudden burst of cool breeze and Shivaiji felt a presence in the room. He could hear the soft tinkling of anklets and heard gentle footsteps on the carpet. A shiver went through his body as he turned around. There was no one in the room. The curtains swayed in the soft breeze. The wicks continued to flutter and dance in the breeze. There was no sound. It must have been his imagination.
He let out a deep sigh and continued to look at the stars in the sky. His right hand rested on the pillar and he brushed his hair with his left hand. He heard the same sound again—the unmistakable sound of anklets. The curtains shook once again and he heard footsteps on the carpet. It was undoubtedly Saibai’s presence in the room. He did not turn back but said, his voice choking, ‘Sai! Don’t you believe me? I know you are worried for Shambhu and I know I could not make you a part of my life for very long. But I assure you that my promise will never be broken. Please believe me.’
The breeze stopped and the tinkling of the anklets faded away. There was pin-drop silence in the room and the curtains did not move anymore. Raje rested his forehead on the pillar and said, ‘Sai, it is not Shambhu who is orphaned—it is I!’
#
D
ussehra went by quietly as everyone was still mourning Saibai. In the meanwhile, Afzal Khan had reached Wai and had camped on the banks of the Krishna River. Shivaji had to bury his personal sorrow and focus on the impending threat posed by Khan. All the forts had been instructed that if Khan reached their foothills, they should not resist and, instead, should join forces with Khan.
Sonopant Dabir asked, ‘Raje, isn’t such an instruction telling the people to surrender before they fight?’
‘Yes, it is! I don’t want our people to be killed by Khan’s men. I don’t want the common man to suffer. If they resist, Khan won’t hesitate to kill them.’
Within a few weeks, Khan managed to take charge of a large part of the province, capturing the Supe region, Shirval and Sawad. The dangerous Saif Khan took over Tal Konkan but there was no resistance whatsoever anywhere. Afzal Khan had been quite sure that Shivaji would come out and fight. He had, after all, captured a large part of Shivaji’s territory. But Shivaji was nowhere to be seen. This strange behaviour worried Khan.
Shivaji was aware of the atrocities being committed by Khan’s troops despite the fact that there had been no resistance—it was a painful fact he had to live with. Mankoji Dahatonde was a loyal soldier who had come with Dadoji Konddev from Bengaluru, and was the first to take charge of the cavalry. Since Mankoji was becoming old, Shivaji had designated Netaji Palkar as the cavalry in-charge and Mankoji had taken on the role of an advisor.
Mankoji commented, ‘Raje, I want us to teach this Khan a lesson. That’s the only way he’s going to come to his senses.’
Everyone was itching for some action and Mankoji’s comments were echoed by many others. Shivaji listened patiently before saying, ‘Mankoji, don’t you think I want to trample Khan? But I would be foolish to meet him in the plains—we would certainly get routed. He is enticing me to come out and fight.’
‘What do we do now?’ Yesaji asked.
‘Wait for him to enter Jawali.’
#
The evening assembly was in progress. Netaji Palkar, Atre, Mankoji, Moropant Pingle and other such capable men waited in attendance. Shivaji laid out his plan to confront Khan.
One of the sardars asked, ‘What if we try for a compromise?’
‘Compromise?’ Shivaji smiled. ‘Have you forgotten he has taken an oath to bring me to Bijapur, alive, dragging behind his horse? I would meet the same fate as Dada Maharaj. There is no question of any treaty now. We will either kill him or die ourselves!’
He continued, seeing Jijabai’s concerned look, ‘Maa saheb, I remember an episode from the Mahabharata when Krishna tells Arjun, “If you win, you will enjoy heaven here. If you lose, you will go to heaven.” If I compromise, he will still destroy our land. It is better to fight now and if nothing else, we will die as warriors who fought for their motherland.’
They all agreed that the best course was to confront Khan in the dense jungles of Jawali.
Jijabai could not sleep that night. And as he took her blessings the next morning, Shivaji said, ‘I had a dream just before dawn … I had a vision of Bhawani appearing before me and saying, “May you be victorious! You are destined to kill Afzal Khan. My blessings are with you—go do your duty.” When I woke up, the sun was rising on the eastern horizon.’
‘That is good to hear! I am sure Bhawani will take care of you, Shivba. But I have decided that I too will accompany you.’
‘Maa saheb!’
‘Raje, I don’t care about what happens henceforth. I don’t want to lose sight of you now.’
‘Maa saheb, you may not lose me but you may lose our Swaraj. I can take this risk because I have full faith in you.’
‘Faith in me for what?’ Jijabai asked, knowing exactly what he meant.
‘After all, this is a battle. I am sure I will kill Khan, but in case I …’
‘Shivaji!’ Jijabai screamed.
Shivaji continued, ‘Maa saheb, this is no time to cry. I want you to listen carefully. In case I do not come back alive, I entrust the responsibility for Shambhu to you. I cannot be his mother and that’s why I am asking you to stay back and take care of him.’
Maa saheb hugged Shivaji, who tried to force a smile through his tear-filled eyes.
She said, ‘Shivba, remember he betrayed your Dada Maharaj! Come home victorious!’
‘I will return soon, Maa saheb. I shall kill Afzal Khan and return for your blessings.’
The assembly of Firangoji, Sonopant and others were waiting. Shivaji looked at Firangoji and said, ‘Sambhaji Raje and Maa saheb are now in your care. If I come back after killing Afzal Khan, then we continue as before. If I don’t, I am asking you to serve under Sambhaji Raje and take care of him. I want you to carry forward the Maharashtra Rajya we have created. Take care—I will return soon!’
#
It was sundown by the time Shivaji reached Pratapgad. He looked around as he climbed up the steps. The fort was completely protected with cannons at strategic points. The Koyna gorge shone in the dying rays of the evening sun. Mahabaleshwar could be clearly seen on the other side.
Shivaji’s quarters were at the highest point in the fort. The rooms were simple yet elegantly done. He was surprised at seeing Manohari in the room.
‘Manohari, what are you doing here?’
‘Maa saheb asked me to come. She said there won’t be anyone to take care of your clothes otherwise.’
Shivaji smiled. ‘Well, if it is Maa saheb’s will, I am no one to object. Go ahead and get things arranged. I will return later.’
Shivaji was about to leave when Manohari stepped forward and opened her fist to show him a ring.
‘Isn’t that Sai’s? What are you doing with it?’
‘Rani saheb had asked me to give it to you. I did not find time and hence carried it here for you.’
Shivaji said, letting out a deep sigh, ‘I had given this to Rani saheb as a token of my love. Wear it in her memory.’
He turned and left abruptly and Manohari kept staring at his back.
The fort bubbled with fresh energy and enthusias
m. Shivaji received a message saying that Kanhoji Jedhe was on his way. Kanhoji had kept his word and had brought along people like Shitole, Gaekwad, Dohar, Marne, Maral, Shirmalkar and other Deshmukhs. Kanhoji had also brought the love, affection and enthusiasm of the population with him. Shivaji’s confidence improved dramatically seeing the support of these people. Shivaji’s cavalry had increased to seven thousand and the foot soldiers to more than three thousand in number.
Kanhoji said, ‘Raje, you seem prepared for a big fight. Khan, no doubt, will have a huge army.’
‘Kanhoji, the Jawali region has an advantage in our favour. Here, one of our soldiers is equal to a hundred of the enemy’s. We have the blessings of Mahabaleshwar too. This fight is going to decide whether we serve under our oppressors forever or we declare Swaraj once and for all!’
‘But do you expect Khan to come here?’
‘He will be forced to. His army includes people like Prataprao More, who is itching to reclaim Jawali. Khan has a lot of people who know this region well. Accounting for their knowledge and his arrogance, I know he will attack us. If he does not, we will find ways to make him come here.’
While Shivaji sat in Pratapgad deciding the next course of action, Khan too was frustrated, hungering for battle. He had captured most of Shivaji’s territory but the Maratha rat had stayed put in Jawali. He received daily updates from his spies in Jawali and knew that the longer he waited, the stronger Shivaji would become. He decided to test Shivaji and sent his lawyer and messenger Krishnaji Bhaskar to meet Shivaji at Pratapgad.
The messenger of the mighty Afzal Khan was coming to Pratapgad on his own—without an invitation from Shivaji! It was indeed a test of nerves!
#
No one could believe that Khan had sent a messenger on his own. Krishnaji Bhaskar was a tall, slim and handsome man with penetrating grey eyes. He wore a turban and a yellow, silk robe with a dhoti to match. Krishnaji observed the surroundings as he walked up to the fort. He could see that the security was tight. The cannons were placed strategically and the heaps of boulders and cannon balls arranged at select locations spoke of the Maratha preparedness for an attack. He could not hide his smile and commented, ‘You seem ready for a major confrontation.’
