Samarth Shivaji

So~tleYolk-Xto7,ies qf 12L'n?/~{k(js the L a s t of the ~9ages.-133 nriss ~ J U C I AC. (i. ( ~ I I I E V E , 8:1t:~ra,India. THE most picturesq~lefigure in Xaratl-ii folk-lore is that of Sliivaji, tllc great military chief who broke the power of the hloglils and gave the IIindus back their independence. Next to Ilim, and cnslirined rnore deeply in the p o r ~ d a raffection, stands RSmdtLs, Sllivaji's Gliru or spiritual instructor. The king was a foreigner, often despotic-tl-iongh that is a small matter to a I'iil~du-frequently as terrible to his friends as to y a s one of themselves, the ideal holy his foes. IZnt R:T~nd%s man, tllc poet whose verses are still treasured, tllc foun(1cr of a popular religion, the gentle sage mho went about doing good, and whose ready wit and kcc11 sense of humor confounded his foes and endeared him to all wit11 wl-lorn Ile came in contact. l'l-ic facts of his life are treavily e1lcruste(1 wit11 legend, the wild legend in which the IIin(11x rrlincl revels; but some truth can be gathered in tiny scraps. IIc was born in a small village ucar Atit, about eleven rnilcs soutl-i of Siitiira, a ISral-irnan of the Desl-issta caste, the younger of two sons. In his cl-iildhood, so great was his love for the god Rt7nia that lie refused to go to school, niacl-i to his father's disgust, and spent his whole time collecting sacred pebbles and worshipping thcm. A t six or eight years of age the ceritrnony of investiture with the sacred )rur?Tj,?jcc was r)crformed, and lie was very Ilappy to bccorne a IErahmaciiril~,o r adult ~ ~ n m a r r i eascetic; d and unmarried he resolvc(1 to remain all his life. That he was now permitted to recite tl-ic holy texts gave him great r)leasnrc; and tllougl-i he llad no Guru, he tried his best to keep all the forms as lie Ilad read them or seen thcm cxplaine(1 in the religious books. TVhc11 he was nine or ten years old, his father deci(1cd that it was time for hirn to marry, and selected the girl and fixed the date for the ceremony. Ramd%s had said littlc a1)ont his resolve not to marry, and what littlc he said his father did not heed. So the boy allowed the preparations to go on, even to the point where the shawl is droppctl between tlrc "high contracting ~)arties,"and tllc priest begins to say the irrevoca-

ble words. IEut just as the priest opened his nloutll Rumtltls descended from the rnarriagc throne, told his father he would not marry, and leaving the house nla(1e his way to the jungle. Ilerc, in a cave 011 the side of the hill Sajanagara, near l'arali, about four miles from SStSra, he dwelt and worhhil)ped "with heart and soul," performing the Sdndl-iya ccrcrno~liesaccording to all the prescribed rites. A t the end of twelve years Rsma appeared to him and cntlowed lrirn with miraculous power. After that he took up his residence in the village of Parali; and in the great tcnlple a t that place arc still to be seen his stick, his drinking-cap, and his coach. Here Sllivaji heard of hiin, went to visit him, and mas so pleased that he nla(1e llirn his Guru. Thenceforth the king (lid nothing, great or small, public or private, without consulting this s a g c Rtlrncl5s had many (1isciplcs, of who111 Ii'alyS~jawas the chief; and togetlrcr they traveled and revived tlrc Hindu religion all oFcr lndia as far north as Benarcs, intl.oducing the worship of 3l:'Lri,ti, a popular god, not so hedged about ~1-it11ceremonies as are rrlost of the other l1inclu divinities. Many anecdotes, most of tllcpl of rlliraculorls cllaractcr, have crystallize(1 about the name of R5nid;is. It is said that one day wllen R%rndtis~ 1 - a t~ I'arali, Slrivaji wished to see him. S o sooner had the thought taken slrape in tlre king's mind than Ftiirrldtls stood before him in Sstira Port. 7'1-ie king was amazed, but as Ile was fond of him and an llorlest a ~ t dtrnc disciple Ilc made bold to ahk how he liad come there in so short a time. 1t;imdii.s answered that he sllould see; an(1 Ile placed one foot on Stlt5ra Port and the other on the fortll~%-itl~ fort a t I'arali four rrliles distant. Sllivaji began to be afraid when he saw this, and the sage resurrled his lratural form. Thcrlcefortll the king regarded him more highly than ever 'cjcforc. There was atlotlrer sagc n h o had rniraculons power, but he was very proud. Rtlnldiis decided that something slloul(1 he done to lessen his pride. So one day hc took a buffalo alld killed i t before all the people. E:vcryot~c was Ilorrificd, and they sent word to Shivaji and to the other sagc. 3Ieanwllile Ft$mdtls had the flesh cut arlcl put into Ir)askcts and carried into the cook-room ; and when the king appeared, 1le asked what lle had corrle for. Sllivaji said nothing, Ir)at the rival sagc answered

Vol. xxv.]

AVolncJ I.ii/ll.-Sto~.iesof I:2,t~/lG.s.

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that it \\.as not proper for a I%rahman.tokill a buffalo. nrimdas askcd, wliere was any buffalo killed '.' Tlie sage replied that its flcsl-I was in the cook-room. R%md;Tstold liim that if that \ ~ ~ e r c so, to bring it oat. The sagc went to get it, but strange to say, all the baskets were filled with (Iisllcs ! Then the sagc fell a t tllc feet of Ra111dtLs and begged hirn to pardon him; 1)at RSmd;is replied that i t was only to rernove liis pride that lie hat1 done this. R;imdt?s was kind to a11 and rnadc 110 (Iistinction between Kralirnans, Mollamrnedans, ctc. One clay a 3lohammedan emperor invited hirn to rnect liirrl in one of tlie forts. As soon as they were inside, the emperor liad all the doors locked and askcd tlic sagc how he could get oat. I n tliese old forts on thc hill-tops, there arc small I-loles a t tlie edge tlirough wllicli tliosc within could fire (Iown on the cnerny beloxv. RtLmd%s replied tliat llc conld go out throngti one of these holes. The emperor (Iitl not believe llirn and told him to go. \Vhereupon t11c sage made his body srnaller in diameter tlla11 a. bullet, and passed thronph quite easily. The emperor was greatly arnazed, and from that day begal; to lore a11cl reverence hirn. The disciples of Rttrnd2s mere very honest and just, and grcatly devoted to trim.' One of tllc disciples used to give the sagc ~r-ic[a,firbt chewing the leaf to rnakc i t soft, so that he could eat it easily. R ~ r n c i i sb y his rniraculol~spower knew this, but becallsc the man was a good disciple, he ate tllc coitkl that lie broaght hirn. One day a gentlrnian told RSrndiis all about it. The latter told tlie Inan to tell the disciple to send the instrument by \vI-lich he re(Inccd the z l ~ i d t cto pulp. Whcn tlie (Iiscil)le heard this he took a sword, and cutting off his own head, I-landed i t to the man. A t this the gentlcrnan began to be afraid, b ~ he~ was t obliged to carry the head to the sage. TVhen he told R%rnci%s,the latter replied that the disciple would do anything for I-lirn, so he loved him and ate tlie i ~ l i t l t r ; but he was afraid the disciple ~vonl(1die \\-ithont liis I-lead. So lie took the head and put it 011 again, and i t was as good as ever: bnt Ile did ~ i o set t i t qnitc straight, and the discir)lc cvcr aftcr llad his head twisted a littlc to one side. Iialy:'r~!a was the first and chief disciple of R;irncl%s. One day, in order to pllt the latter to the tost, R;inld%s did a roiracle. IIc called togetllcr a11 his disciples and showed them a great

swelling on his thigh from arlliclr Ile was srlffcring nluclr pain, and he told them that if any of them would suck the matter from it he would recover, brit otherwise he mould die. ,111 professed great sympathy, b a t as Ire called 011 tlrerr~one by one to 1)crform this service, "they all xvitl-I one accord began to make excuses." ISut when he came to KalyStla and asked if he were willing, tlris disciple replied tlrat he lrad made an offering of his life to him and therefore he \vonld do anytlring. 'l'hen lle applied-his lips to the swelling, but as hc did so the lump became a large and s~veetrnango ! Everyone was astonished, and IialyrT~abecame chief of the disciples. A t another time, to put Shivaji to the test, RLlrrldas told the king that he was very sick, but that if Ire would bring hirn some rnilk frorn a tigress Ire would recover. Tlrc king resolved to bring the milk or die in tlre attempt. So he started out and came to a thick jungle and entered i t and began to scarclr for a cave. Presently he found one with a big tigress inside. She was very fierce and terrible, and as Ire approactred her she made a t him. IEut strong in his resolution, he was not afraid, b u t went boldly np to her arld began milking her. This enraged her still more, and she tried to eat him, but he persevered and filled his pot with the milk. Then he started to go home; but as he looked back he saw, not the tigress, but the sage! So the king fell a t his feet rejoicing, and thenceforth RBmd5s regarded him as one of his most devoted disciples. [The DeshBsta Brahnla~lsmentioned in this article are those of the Deccan from Ahmadnugger to S%t%ra,,incontradistinction to the Konkon Brahmans of the coast. Marhti, as Miss Grieve carefully writes the word, to give the pronunciation, is Sk. MBrnti, in the epic a late epithet of Hanunlan, but now the usual name of this deity in the nlouth of the conlmon people. The statement that the worship of ITan~xmanwas i~ltroduced by Riimdgs is irlteresting as a legend. IIistorically it nlay be doubted whether it was even revived; perhaps i t was e ~ t e n d e d or enlphasized by the saint. The cr*i{7(1 is the betel, Sk. ?ri!ikd. -El).]