शौनकचा कट्टा..

The establishment of Hindavi Swarajya cannot be understood as the achievement of a single individual, a single battle, or even a single stream of thought. It was the product of a long historical process in which political ambition, military organisation, social mobilisation, religious consciousness, local traditions and individual leadership converged. At the centre of that transformation stood Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who translated the idea of self-rule into an organised political reality. But alongside the political and military movement ran another, quieter process: the preparation of the mind, character and social will necessary for such a transformation. It is in this parallel process that the contribution of Samarth Ramdas deserves examination. The argument need not be that Ramdas "created" Shivaji's Swarajya, nor that he was the political mastermind behind it, there is insufficient historical basis for so sweeping a claim. Equally, it would be reductive to dis...

  While examining the Indian nation through the concept of “parampara” (tradition) as articulated by Prof. Ram Shevalkar, the second part traced the traditions of Vashistha and Vishwamitra in the context of the question: the path of knowledge or the path of statecraft? In this part, we will examine another question, stability or dynamism, that is, “To be Static or to Adopt Dynamism” through the traditions of Bhargava and Narayaniya. Bhargav or Bhrigu:  Sage Bhrigu, like Vashistha, is also considered a Manasaputra of Brahma. According to Indian Puranic literature, these sages are born again in different Manvantaras. According to the Vishnu Purana, in the first Manvantara Bhrigu married Khyati. They had children such as Ayati, Niyati, and Bhargavi (Lakshmi). Among them, Lakshmi was married to Vishnu. According to the Shiva Purana, after the episode of Daksha Yajna and Sati, Bhrigu received a boon that he would be reborn in the Chakshusha Manvantara. Accordingly, he was reborn ...

While examining the idea of the Indian nation through the concept of “Parampara” as articulated by Prof. Ram Shevalkar, in the first we part briefly reviewed India as a civilization and culture, and concluded by identifying the Parampara that form its foundation. These Parampara are Vashistha, Vishwamitra, Bhargava, and Narayaniya. In this part, we shall explore Vashistha and Vishwamitra Parampara with the question: Is the path of the nation guided primarily by the path of knowledge or by the path of statecraft and power? Vashishtha: Sage Vashistha, considered the Manasaputra  of Brahma, is the bearer of the Brahmadanda, the staff of spiritual authority, and the embodiment of knowledge. He is counted among the 21 Prajapatis and served as the Rajpurohit  (Royal Preceptor) of the Ikshvaku dynasty of Lord Rama. Vashishtha Following the command of King Dasharatha, Sage Vashistha imparted guidance to Rama and Lakshmana on justice, ethics, and the principles of an ideal state. Thi...

  In his celebrated lecture series on Yogeshwar Shri Krishna, the eminent scholar and orator Vakta Dashasahasreshu Prof. Ram Shewalkar introduces the concept of “Parampara” (Tradition) in a profound sense.  By parampara, he does not merely refer to rituals, worship practices, vows, or social customs. Rather, he speaks of it in a much wider and deeper sense, as the civilizational, social, political, and cultural core of the Indian nation. While interpreting the life and philosophy of Shri Krishna, Prof. Shewalkar briefly elaborates upon this idea of tradition. Taking that thread forward, this is an attempt to understand the Bharat through the lens of parampara. When the word “Bharat” is uttered, what immediately comes to my mind is the description of the land of Bharat and its people found in the Vishnu Purana: उत्तरं यत् समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम्। वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः।। ( Uttaraṁ yat samudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam | Varṣaṁ tad Bhārataṁ nāma Bhāratī ...

Hemadri Pandit. Decolonisation is not merely the removal of foreign political power. It is the restoration of intellectual confidence. It is the recovery of systems. It is the reclaiming of institutional memory. The Maratha Empire did not simply challenge imperial authority on the battlefield; it reconstructed the civilizational backbone of Bharat. At the heart of that reconstruction lay something deeply profound yet often overlooked: the revival of the ancient Indic tradition of accounting and state book-keeping embodied in the concept of मेस्तक (Mestak). What is Mestak? Mestak was a structured accounting manuscript tradition, a codified format for recording state revenue and expenditure. But more than that, it was a philosophy of governance. The preserved shloka states: लेखकासी हे मेस्तक। नीतिवंता नीतिशास्त्र देखा। राजकी लोकांसि विवेक। प्रकट करी।। लेखणी दिधली ज्याचे हाती। तो स्वीकारिला सरस्वती। लेखनकळा वर्षा आरती। साधली तया I आताही जे असता धरिती येणेप्रमाणे लिहिती। त्यासी पावेल सरस्व...

"A forgotten policy that sowed the seeds of regional economic disparity and laid the foundation for future social and political identities." “So, despite having mineral resources and fertile land, Bihar, and now Jharkhand, too, could not make the desired progress” The late former President Pranab Mukherjee made this statement during a program held in Bihar in 2017. Western and southern India flourished on the strength of the resources of eastern and central India. A Member of Parliament from eastern India presented this fact from independent India’s economic history in somewhat needlessly aggressive language, which sparked controversy. But this naturally raises the question: How and why did this happen? In ancient and medieval times, the most prosperous kingdoms and empires were located in this very region. While it is not relevant here to delve deep into that distant past, one must note that the economic decline of eastern India began under British rule, and the Freight Equa...

 The Statesman Who Laid Grounds for Hindavi Swarajya Mahavir Ta Bans me bhayo ek avanis Liyo birad Sisodiyo diyo Is ko Sees ( The One born/ belonging to the legacy of Mahavir, took the title 'Sisodiyo' as he had offered his Head to the Ishwar..) Kaviraj Bhooshan has described the Sisodiya clan of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in the 'Kulvarnan' in his magnum opus Shri Shivbhushan.  Mahabali Shahaji Raje Bhosale, was the man, the legend who lived up to this legacy of Sisodiya. The legacy originated in the lands of Bappa Rawal, Rana Pratap's Mewar. The legacy of protecting independence, sovereignty, and Hindu dev-dharma who laid the grounds for Hindavi Swarajya in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The book 'Mahabali Shahaji Raje Bhosale and his Times' authored by Pune based historian Guruprasad Kanitkar explores the life and legacy of the statesman, who inspired Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra and Vyankoji or Ekoji Raje in the south to establish Hindavi Swarajya.  Guru...

मुंबईकर-पुणेकर-नागपूरकरांच्या पुढे 'कर' जोडताना पु.ल. हे लिहून गेले आहेत, ".... एक तर मुंबईच नव्हती. ती मुंबई झाली साहेब आल्यानंतर. त्यामुळे मुंबईचे पहिले आणि अखेरचे राजे हे इंग्रजच. ..." ते तत्कालीन व्यंगात्मक लेखन होते. त्याचा आस्वाद घेत आपण सगळेच मनमुराद हसतो, पण वास्तवात मुंबई आणि मुंबई भोवतालच्या परिसराला हजारो किंबहुना कोटीच्या कोटी वर्षांचा इतिहास आहे. मुंबईच्या साठ्ये महाविद्यालयात उपप्राचार्य म्हणून कार्यरत पुरात्तवज्ञ आणि कलेतिहासकार डॉ. सुरज पंडित यांनी अपरान्त आणि पुरातत्त्व विभाग व बहिःशाल विभाग, मुंबई विद्यापीठ प्रकाशित 'वारसा मुंबईचा' या पुस्तकात तो समृद्ध इतिहास उलगडला आहे.  तो उलगडावा वाटला याचे कारण सुरज पंडित यांनी नमूद केले आहे. ते म्हणतात, "मला कायम प्रश्न पडत असत, ही मुंबई अशी का आहे? ही जर पोर्तुगीज-ब्रिटिशांनी वसवलेली असेल तर प्राचीन साहित्यात तिचे उल्लेख कसे येतात?  या प्रश्नांचा मागोवा घेताना एक प्रवास सुरु झाला.." त्याला साथ मिळाली ती मुंबई महानगर विकास प्राधिकरण अर्थात MMRDA च्या वारसा संवर्धन विभागाची आणि त्या अंतर्गत उभ्...