[GHHF] Bala Samskar Kendras – Celebrated Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti by learning about his life, his bravery, establishment of Maratha Empire and  his achievements.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was much more than a warrior: he made laws, built the first Indian navy, was a staunch Hindu, yet donated to Sufi shrines and never harmed the wives and children of his enemies and had a vision of a unified India. Yet, his place in Indian history books is minimal and underrated. Thus, we have chosen to honor him in this Museum.” Francois Gautier
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation is very happy to inform that we have started more than 175 Bala Samskar Kendras (Schools for children and youth) to enrich them with greatness of Hindu Dharma and the appreciate the sacrifices many leaders have done to protect Bharat. There are many kings who have achieved to the new heights in their skills, talents and strength. Unfortunately, Bharath denies its history to their own children and glorified the most undeserving rulers. The government has corrupted the minds of young students since Independence from 1947.
GHHF decided to teach the real history of our country and present a truthful account of great emperors of Bharat. Our Bala Samskar teachers taught that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. With his valor and great administrative skills, Shivaji carved out an enclave from the declining Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. It eventually became the genesis of the Maratha Empire. After establishing his rule, Shivaji implemented a competent and progressive administration with the help of a disciplined military and well-established administrative set-up. Shivaji is well-known for his innovative military tactics that centered around non-conventional methods leveraging strategic factors like geography, speed, and surprise to defeat his more powerful enemies.
Shivaji turned out to be a born leader from a very young age. An active outdoorsman, he explored the Sahayadri Mountains surrounding the Shivneri forts and came to know the area like the back of his hands. By the time he was 15, he had accumulated a band of faithful soldiers from the Maval region who later aided in his early conquests.
By 1645, Shivaji acquired control of several strategic from under the Bijapur Sultanate around Pune – Torna from Inayat Khan, Chakan from FirangojiNarsala. Mohammed Adil Shah sent Afzal Khan, a powerful general in his employ to subdue Shivaji. The two met in a private rendezvous on November 10, 1659 to discuss terms of negotiation. Shivaji anticipated it to be a trap and he arrived prepared wearing armor and concealing a metal tiger claw. When Afzal Khan attacked Shivaji with a dagger, he was saved by his armour and Shivaji retaliated by attacking Afzal Khan with the tiger’s claw, mortally injuring him. He ordered his forces to launch an assault on the leaderless Bijapuri contingents. Victory was easy for Shivaji in the Battle of Pratapgarh, where around 3000 Bijapuri soldiers were killed by the Maratha forces.
Under his reign, the Maratha administration was established where Chhatrapati was the supreme sovereign and a team of eight ministers were appointed to oversee the proper enforcement of various policies. These eight ministers reported directly to Shivaji and were given a lot of power in terms of execution of policies formulated by the King. He appointed eight Ministers with different portfolios to manage the administration.
He was credited with saving the Hindustan from the onslaught of Muslims during that period. Importance of Shivaji cannot be underestimated , not just for India but for the world. Kavi Bhushan was a contemporary . This is what he said about Shivaji;
Shivaji na hote subkehote Sunnah. If Shivaji was not there, everyone would have been circumcised. He declared himself as 'Hindu pada padashahi', a king at the feet of Hindus.
Shivaji had a foresight and developed a Naval force in view of new arrivals from Europe. Maratha Navy of Shivaji defeated British navy at the coast of Mumbai.
Shivaji and Sant Ramdas
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a very faithful devotee of his Guru, Samarth Ramdas swami. So, he was his Guru’s favorite disciple. Samarth used to love him more than the other of his disciples. Seeing this, the other disciples of Samarth started to feel that since Shivaji Maharaj is a king, he is the Guru’s favorite. Samarth decided to remove this misunderstanding of his disciples. So, he once took all his disciples to the forest. In the forest, they lost their way. Samarth went into a cave and pretended that he was having severe pain in the abdomen. The disciples entered the cave and saw that Samarth was groaning with pain. They asked Samarth how they could help. On hearing Samarth’s reply, all the disciples were dumbfounded.
But Shivaji went to the forest and gathered courage and folded his hands in front of the tigress and said, ‘O Mother, I have not come here to harm either you or your cubs. I need your milk to cure my Guru’s illness. Please let me take it. I shall give it to my Guru and come back to you. Then if you want, you can eat me.’ Saying so he lovingly moved his hands on her back. Then Shivaji milked her and filled the pot. He bowed down to her with gratitude and left the place. Shivaji went back to the cave where Samarth was and keeping the pot in front of him and bowed down to him. Samarth said, “So finally you brought the milk of a tigress! God bless you, Shiva! When there is such a faithful and devoted disciple like you, how can the Guru be in pain for long?” Samarth put his palm on Shivaji’s head and looked at the other disciples.
Shivaji was Praised
Samarth Ramdas observed, “He (Shivaji) can be glorified as successful, famous, blessed, valorous, meritorious and an icon of morality. There has been none like him, a knower of Dharma, who has protected Hindu Dharma in Maharashtra.”
“ Shivaji was one of the greatest national saviors who emancipated our society and our Dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction. He was a peerless hero, a pious and God-fearing king and verily a manifestation of all the virtues of a born leader of men described in our ancient scriptures. He also embodied the deathless spirit of our land and stood as the light of hope for our future” - Swami Vivekananda
Sir E. Sullivan; Shivaji possessed every quality requisite for success in the disturbed age in which he lived. Cautious and wily in council, he was fierce and daring in action; he possessed an endurance that made him remarkable even amongst his hardy subjects, and an energy and decision that would in any age have raised him to distinctions.
"Had Shivaji been born in England, we would not only have ruled earth but the whole Universe!"
--Lord Mountbatten, England
"If India needs to be made independent then there is only one way out, Fight like Shivaji!"
--Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
"Netaji, your country does not require any Hitler to throw out the British, all you need to teach yourselves is Shivaji's history!"
-- Adolf Hitler.
"Had Shivaji been born in America, we would nomenclature him as SUN!"
-- Barack Obama
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Ghar Waapasi is going on unimpeded. We appreciate it if you can help in hiring more people who can go to these villages to do Ghar Waapasi. We have employed 20 Pracharaks working at the ground level. More people we hire, more villages can cover to welcome them back and also create Chaitanya (Awareness) among the students and villagers.
1) Sponsor one Bala Samskar Kendra for $1000.00
2) Sponsor one Pracharak: In order to expand our base and hire one Pracharak, it would cost approximately $3000.00 per year. We have five anonymous donors who sponsored Assistants.
DONATIONS
PayPal Method: To donate visit our website: savetemples.org. Click on the Donate button, then press the Purpose category, and select the Ghar Waapasi Donation category.
By Zelle: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com
By Check: Or you can send a check payable to GHHF, it is tax-deductible.
RUPEES, if you would like to contribute to rupees, please either call or send an email. We will call you back to give you the required information
For more information, call Prakasarao Velagapudi at; Email: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com