In this prolonged furious conflict our people became intensely conscious of ourselves as Hindus and were welded into a nation to an extent unknown in our history. It must not be forgotten that we have all along referred to the progress of the Hindu movement as a whole and not to that of any particular creed or religious section thereof—of Hindutva and not Hinduism only. Sanatanists, Satnamis, Sikhs, Aryas, Anaryas, Marathas and Madrasis, Brahmins and Panchamas—all suffered as Hindus and triumphed as Hindus. Both friends and foes contributed equally to enable the words Hindu and Hindusthan to supersede all other designations of our land and our people. Aryavarta and Daxinapatha, Jambudweep and Bharatvarsha none could give so eloquent an expression to the main political and cultural point at issue as the word, Hindusthan could do. All those on this side of the Indus who claimed the land from Sindhu to Sindhu, from the Indus to the seas, as the land of their birth, felt that they were directly mentioned by that one single expression, Hindusthan. The enemies hated us as Hindus and the whole family of peoples and races, of sects and creeds that flourished from Attock to Cuttack was suddenly individualised into a single Being. We cannot help dropping the remark that no one has up to this time taken the whole field of Hindu activities from A.D. 1300 to 1800 into survey from this point of view, mastering the details of the various now parallel, now correlated movements from Kashmir to Ceylon and from Sindh to Bengal and yet rising higher above them all to visualise the whole scene in its proportion as an integral whole. For it was the one great issue to defend the honour and independence of Hindusthan and maintain the cultural unity and civic life of Hindutva and not Hinduism alone, but Hindutva. -i. e. Hindudharma that was being fought out on the hundred fields of battle as well as on the floor of the chambers of diplomacy. This one word, Hindutva, ran like a vital spinal cord through our whole body politic and made the Nayars of Malabar weep over the sufferings of the Brahmins of Kashmir. Our bards bewailed the fall of Hindus, our seers roused the feelings of Hindus, our heroes fought the battles of Hindus, our saints blessed the efforts of Hindus, our statesmen moulded the fate of Hindus, our mothers wept over the wounds and gloried over the triumphs of Hindus. It would require a volume if we were to substantiate these remarks by quoting all the words and writings of our forefathers that bear on the point. But the argument in hand does not allow us to be drawn aside even by so alluring a task as that. Consequently we must content ourselves with quoting a few eloquent lines either from the lips or the pen of some of the foremost representatives of our Hindu race. Of all the works written in the Hindi language, old and new, the great epic Prithviraj Raso by Chand Bardai is, so far as present researches go, admittedly the most ancient and authoritative one. There is only one solitary verse which claims to be an earlier composition. But luckily and strangely enough this very first composition in our northern vernacular literature refers to the word Hindusthan, in terms full of pride and patriotic fervour. The poet, Ven, father of Chand Baradai addresses the Raja of Ajmer, the father of Prithviraj— Chand Baradai who may justly be called the first poet of Hindi literature, uses the words Hindi, Hindawan, Hind so often and so naturally as to leave no doubt of their being quite common and accepted terms as far back as the eleventh century, when the Mohammedans had not secured any permanent footing even in Punjab and therefore could not have influenced the independent and proud Rajputs to adopt a degrading nickname invented by their foes and make it their national and proud appellation. Describing how Shahabuddin taken prisoner by the Hindus, was let go by the noble Prithviraj on condition that he would not again attack the ‘Hindus’. Chand says— But Shahabuddin was not a man to be won over by Hindu chivalry. Again and again he sallies forth and a fierce fight ensues to the boundless joy of that divine cynic Narada :— and again till at last But in spite of his efforts to crush the Hindus Shahabuddin lost the day and the triumphant news sent Delhi mad with joy that Pajjunrai had once more taken Shahabuddin a prisoner. The populace greeted their king Prithviraj :— Further pledges solemnly entered by the man who had broken his former pledges as solemnly given, succeeded in securing the release of the Shah once more and once more, but now for the last time, did he invade Hindusthan and by a fell swoop was almost at the gate of Delhi. The council of war is summoned by the Hindapati Prithviraj, insolent challenge is sent by Shahabuddin, the Rawals and Samantas are aflame when Chamundrai tells the Mohammedan messenger to remind Shah of the dust he had licked and adds :— The fatal day drew near and both the sides knew it was a desparate game. Chandbaradai almost on the eve of the defection of Hameer, approaches the Goddess Durga and opens his prayer so pathetic and so patriotic thus — After having narrated the fateful results of the battle and the consequent plot that enabled Shahabuddin to strike Prithviraj dead, the poem ends with paying a last touching tribute to the fallen Hindu Emperor— It is remarkable that although the word Bharat appears often in the Raso in the sense of Mahabharat, yet it seldom if ever, is used in the sense of Bharatvarsha. What we find in this earliest of our northern vernacular composition holds good in the latter development of our vernacular literature down to the day of the great Hindu revival and the war of Hindu liberation. Ramadas, the high priest and prophet of that movement, in one of his mystical and prophetic utterances sings of the vision he has seen and triumphantly but thankfully asserts that much of what he has seen in his vision has already come to be true — In utter darkness I dreamt: behold, the dreams are realised. Hindusthan is up, has come by her own, and those that hated her and sinned against God are put down with a strong hand! Verily it is a holy land and happy! For, God has made her cause his own and Aurangzeb is down! The dethroned are enthroned and the enthroned is dethroned. Actions speak better than words! Verily Hindusthan is a holy land and happy : Now that Dharma is backed up by Rajadharma, Right by might, the waters of Hind, no longer defiled, can enable us once more to perform our ablutions and austerities. Let come what may: Rama has made this land holy and happy! Bhushana, the Hindu poet who was one of the most prominent of our national bards that went up and down the country and roused ‘Hindawan’ to action and achievement in those days of the war of Hindu liberation, challenged Aurangzeb — Again at another place Bhooshan says :— ‘Thou art so busy in winning easy victories over the poor Hindu friars and beggars there. Why dust thou fight so shy to face the Hindpati himself ? Thou hast lost fort after fort in the fair field here: that is perhaps why thou art distinguishing thyself by pulling down unoffending convents, churches and chapels there! Art thou not ashamed to call thyself Alamgir, conqueror of the world, when thyself standest vanquished by the Hindu Emperor Shivaji ? Speaking of things that Shivaji achieved Bhooshan says:— It was in this light that the achievements of Shivaji and his compatriots were viewed by his race through-out Hindusthan. Bhushan though not a Maratha felt as proud of the victorious march of the Maratha warriors from Shivaji to Bajirao (Vide Bhushan Granthavali) as they themselves did. He was Hindu of Hindus and till the last day of his life he kept on singing his stirring songs, emphasizing the national and pan-Hindu aspect of the movement and impressing it on the minds of its great leaders. Amongst these Chhatrasal, the brave Bundela king, was his second favourite:— Nor was this tribute paid to Chhatrasal undeservedly. Chhatrasal was truly like Shivaji, Rajsinha, Guru Govindsinha, the ‘Dhala Hindavaneki.’ He Looked upon himself as the champion of ‘Hindutva’. Says Chhatrasal:- After his historical visit paid by Chhatrasal to Shivaji the great Bundela leader, greatly encouraged by the latter met Sujansinha who was a powerful Rajput chief in Bundelkhand. In the conversation that followed Sujan sinha draws a moving picture of the political situation of the country — Sujansinha, the old Raja, saying thus offered his sword and heart to Chhatrasal and blessed him and his mission — Tegbahadur, the Great Guru, who not only championed the cause of this war of Hindu liberation in Punjab but laid down his life for it, is reported to have advised the Brahmans of Kashmir, who oppressed and threatened with ‘Islam or death’ solicited his help — And when he was challenged by the foes of the race and religion he boldly answered :— His illustrious son. Guru Govindsinha, at once the poet, prophet and warrior of our Hindu race and our Hindu culture, exclaims in a moment of inspiration — The chronicler of Shivaji in the old work '
But the shrewd and trusted Dadaji advised : — And yet Dadaji was the guiding hand of the whole movement. The youthful Shivaji writes in 1646 A. D. to one of his young compatriots- ’ Mr. Rajvade has the original copy of this letter which reveals, as it were, the soul of the great Hindu movement in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was no parochial movement—it was Hindavi Swarajya the Hindu Empire—that was the great ideal which had fired the imagination and goaded the actions of Shivaji while he was but in his teens. We have his own word for it. But when Jaysingh—a Rajput prince—came to subdue Shivaji and his movement, the edge of Shivaji’s power of resistance became very naturally blunted. It was disheartening in the extreme to find the Rajputs— the ancient shield of Hindutva—shedding their blood and the blood of their co-religionists and brother Hindus that the Mohammedans might win ! Says Shivaji to Jaysingh — Jaysingh was doubtless touched and replied-’ The rise of Hindu power under Shivaji had electrified the Hindu mind all over India. The oppressed looked upon him as an Avatar and a Saviour. Thus we find that the people of the Savnoor district groaning under the Mohammedan yoke appeal to him :— Again after Shivaji had restored the Jagir to his brother Vyankoji at Tanjore on condition that he should cease to recognize the sovereignty of the Mohammedan sway. Shivaji writes:— Rajaram in order to express his sense of appreciation of the national services of Santaji and his brothers in the war of independence, conferred on Bahiroji the high and proud appellation ‘Hindurav’. When the siege at Jinji was pressing the Maratha forces to try their best to break through it an attempt was made to win over the Marathas in the services of the Moghal commander:— Shahu had once entered into a controversy with Jayasinha (Sawai) on the point ’ What have I done and what you have done to protect the Hindu Religion !’ The same spirit animated the generations of Bajirao and Nanasaheb.’ Says the historian: - Brahmendra Swami was the central figure of the intellectuals of the period. Mathurabai writes to this Swami :— The letters sent by this brave lady, Mathurabai Angre, are all so full of patriotic fervour and force that they deserve a perusal by all those who want to catch the real spirit of the great Hindu revival. (Dhondo Govind’s letters to Bajirao) But as Vasai was still holding out Bajirao could not go in time. He was chafing under his inabilities. He writes:— But his indomitable spirit rose triumphant over all obstacles. He writes again :— ( Bajirao’s letter) Sawai Jaysinha was as intensely proud of his Hindutva as any one else of the great leaders of the Hindu movement. It was he who directed the people -the oppressed Hindus—in Malva to request Bajirao to extend the war of Hindu liberation to Malva and thus to take a further important step towards the realization of the mission of the generation of the followers of the Shivaji cult all over India—the mission of Hindupadpadshahi. In one of his letters the enlightened and patriotic Rajput prince writes :— Again he writes : ’ (Jaysingh’s letters 26-10-1721 A. D.)
Nanasaheb the son of Bajirao was in fact the greatest leader of men that the great movement of Hindu liberation and Hindupadpadshahi brought to the front. His correspondence is a study by itself. Wherever we find him, we find him the champion of Hindutva. To Tarabai he writes :— (Nanasaheb’s letters) Though much was lost on the field of Panipat, yet all was not lost. For two men survived the battle and saved the cause. Nana Farnavis and Mahadaji Shinde—the brain, the sword, the shield of the Hindu Power—thought and worked and fought for 40 years or so—in spite of the disastrous defeat at Panipat or rather in virtue of it—for that defeat was the greatest blow that the victors had ever received and succeeded in making the Hindus the de facto Rulers of Hindusthan. How conscious the national mind had grown of the triumphant turn events had taken and how intensely proud had they been of Hindutva and the Hindu Empire all but established can best be seen in the letters of the most talented diplomatic writers of that period. Govindrao Kale writes to Nana Fadnavis from the capital of the Nizam on learning the news that gladdened the Marathas from end to end of Maharashtra that the misunderstanding growing between the two men Nana and Mahadaji had disappeared :— This one single letter penned with such ease and grace gives a truer expression to the spirit of our history than many a dull volume had done. How spontaneously it hits on the right derivation of the epithets Hindu and Hindusthan and how completely our ancestors down to the last generation loved and reverenced and identified themselves with these epithets is so eloquently illustrated in this letter as to render it superfluous to cite any more.