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Journalism of Courage
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has demanded an “unconditional apology” from Jaggi Vasudev of the Isha Foundation for a video in which he is seen making the claim that Saint Samarth Ramdas was Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji’s guru, and that it was Ramdas who gave Shivaji his saffron flag.
This is not the first time that Samarth Ramdas and his alleged connection to Marathi icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has been at the centre of a controversy. While various right-wing organisations have claimed that Ramdas was Shivaji’s mentor and played a key role in his rule, Maratha organisations have denied such claims by pointing out that there is no historical evidence that the king had a Brahmin guru.
Last year, then Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had landed in trouble for making the same claim.
In a video posted on Jaggi Vasudev’s YouTube channel which has 11.3 million subscribers, the self-proclaimed godman is seen narrating a story about the famous Maratha king.
Jaggi says, “He had a guru, whose name was Ramdas. One day, Shivaji was standing on the balcony of his palace. He saw his guru going house to house begging. Then he thought, what is my guru doing begging on the streets? I am a king, my guru cannot be begging on the streets.”
Jaggi continues, claiming that upon seeing his guru’s predicament, Shivaji decides to give him his whole kingdom. When Ramdas asks what he is going to do after forsaking his kingdom, Shivaji responds by saying, “Whatever you do. I want to be around you and serve you.” Jaggi then goes on to claim that both (Shivaji and Ramdas) went begging together.
Finally, Jaggi arrives at the point of the story. “Later, Ramdas gave him the orange cloth and asked him to use it as a banner. And told him to rule the country. But just know that this is not your kingdom. If you know this doesn’t belong to you, you will own it and you will do the best you can for people… So Shivaji always used orange cloth as his banner,” Jaggi says.
NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad, who is also party general secretary, said, “This is an absolutely false and demeaning story that has no truth. This is not only an insult to Shivaji Maharaj but also to Maharashtra. We want Sadhguru to tender an unconditional apology at the earliest.” Awhad also sought action against him.
Maratha organisations have historically disputed the claim that Shivaji had a Brahmin guru. When Governor Koshyari had made the same claim, BJP MP Udayanaraje Bhosale, a direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, had said that “Rashtramata Jijau (the Maratha king’s mother) was the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj” and not Ramdas.
Most historians agree that the issue of calling Samarth Ramdas the guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji is to do with the maintenance of Brahmanical supremacy and that there is no historical evidence to verify the fact.
“To take credit for the work of Shivaji Maharaj, the Brahmanical system installed Ramdas as guru of Shivaji Maharaj. But the contemporary important historical texts do not even mention him. The Brahmanical system has the disadvantage of not having a great man like Shivaji Raj in our caste. So, to ensure supremacy, they have brought Ramdas to take credit for Shivaj’s,” said Shrimant Kokate, a historian whose research focuses on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
Kokate further said that even though Shivaji Maharaj and Samarath Ramdas were contemporaries, there are no records or texts that show that they ever met. “So, the issue is more about the supremacy of Brahmins over others and nothing else,” he added.
Historian Sanjay Sonawani told The Indian Express in 2022 that records show that Shivaji Maharaj indeed gave donations to Samarth Ramdas’s temples. “But, the records also show that the Maharaj has given donations to temples of other people and religions. That does not make anyone guru of Maharaj,” said Sonawani.
Samarth Ramdas (circa 1608 – 1681), also known as Sant Ramdas or Ramdas Swami, was a Hindu saint, philosopher, poet, writer and spiritual master. A devotee of Lord Ram and Hanuman, he toured the entire Indian subcontinent for 12 years, during which he came across various spiritual teachers and diverse religious traditions.
Ramdas has influenced Hindu nationalist thinkers across the years. The likes of Lokmanya Tilak, RSS founder KB Hedgewar, and VD Savarkar, all claimed to have been inspired by the 17th century saint.
His paean to Lord Hanuman, Maruti Stotra, is still commonly recited by school children as well as wrestlers akhadas across Maharashtra.
