Shivaji Maharaj - Protector of Cows and Brahmins’ (Gau-Brahmin pratipalak)
Shivaji Maharaj - Protector of Cows and Brahmins’ (Gau-Brahmin pratipalak)
In a function in Pune, NCP chief Sharad Pawar made some uncharacteristic remarks on the history of Shivaji Maharaj - tried to paint him as a Secular ( he didn't hate Muslims) and then proclaimed that Maharaj was not a protector of Brahmins and Cows.
Typically false and mischievous remarks meant to polarize communities.
Typically false and mischievous remarks meant to polarize communities.
When Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj did not hesitate from adopting the title of ‘Protector of Cows and Brahmins’ (Gau-Brahmin pratipalak), why do his ‘followers’ have an issue with the words ‘Gau’ and ‘Brahmin’ ?
Out of available 200 letters of Chhatrapati, approximately 100 are written to different Brahmins donating or rewarding them something. Letters are a mirror to the person’s mind. Chhatrapati Shivaji took Brahmins into confidence in events that later gained historical significance. This nature could be observed from his letters. If Shivaji is called ‘Protector of Cows and Brahmins’, some people become very upset. In the year 1647 A.D. Chhatrapati Shivaji wrote a letter to Moreshwar Gosavi stating, ‘A Brahmin guest, even an uninvited one, is auspicious. Maharaj is protector of ‘Cows and Brahmins’ (Gau-Brahmin pratipalak). Maintenance of cows is a very virtuous act.’
Where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj himself did not hesitate from adopting the title of ‘Protector of Cows and Brahmins’ (Gau-Brahmin pratipalak), one fails to understand why his ‘followers’ have an issue with the words ‘Gau’ and ‘Brahmin’ ? Prof. Shivajirao Bhosle says “Some people refer to Shivaji Maharaj as ‘Gau-Brahmin pratipalak’. I agree with this title. The cows enrich the earth, the Brahmins with their piety and study uplift the society; if the Maharaj felt that they should be protected, nothing wrong with that. Today the words are twisted and meanings misrepresented. Doesn’t the milk revolution and the difficult exams administered to select officials remind us of this Gau-Brahmin pratipalan ? Wouldn’t it be nice if in the 21st century, the word Brahmin stood for scholarship, intelligence, adherence to facts, and independent thinking !
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