जन्म झाला शिवनेरी ।
रयत ऋणी जीजाई ।।
शप्पथ स्वराज्याची ।
रायरेश्वरी शिवलिंग साक्षी ।।

भेदरली आदिलशाही ।
पाहून रक्तरंजित भवानी ।।
धडकी मुगल दरबारी ।
तो नतमस्तक रामदासी ।।

उभा अखंड सह्याद्री ।
घेऊन दरी राई ।।
संगे समुद्र अरबी ।
शिवगुण गायी ।।

मग काय करू शाहिरी ।
कोड्यात हा गोंधळी ।।
खंत एकच तुळजाई ।
नशिबा नव्हती शिवाई ।।

Shivaji, who was born to Jijabai at the fort of Shivneri, renounced the inherited comforts and swore to establish self-rule for the people of the land. He shook the tyrannical powers of the Adilshah of Bijapur and the Mughal empire in Delhi fighting many violent battles while humbly accepting the teachings of Sant Ramdas. When today the hills of Sahyadri and the waves of the Arabian sea sing his praises, neither can I better them nor can I shed my envy for unlike them, my life could not witness the acts of his valor.

The format of this verse is called Pawada. Over the centuries, it was the song of the wandering poets in Maharashtra called Gondhali. In a prescient observation, Harry Acworth wrote the following in his book, “Ballads of the Marathas”, published in 1894, “…the advantages of civilization will no doubt, before many years are over, be too much for these products of a time when the steam-engine and the high school were not.”

शत्रूची लूट
पंढरीची तूट
सोसले मुकट
हर हर महादेव

प्रजा बेजार
मुठीत तलवार
एकच ललकार
हर हर महादेव

शिवबाशी मेळ
मावळ्याचं बळ
स्वराज्याचा खेळ
हर हर महादेव

काफिरास संदेश
सोड प्रदेश
भवानीचा आदेश
हर हर महादेव

मातीची शप्पथ
उजळणार मुलुख
भगव्या रंगानं
हर हर महादेव

ओतून रक्तास
सजवू सह्याद्रीस
घडवू इतिहास
हर हर महादेव

History only remembers it’s leaders and heroes who led with a grand vision, but not the many without a name or face who gave their blood and sweat to make that vision a reality. With the war cry of हर हर महादेव (Har Har Mahadev), the mavala army of Shivaji captured over 300 forts across the rugged western ghats laying the foundation for swaraj or self rule.

PS: The religious references are only an attempt to recreate the times that existed 350 years ago. Today, such sentiments are anachronistic – as much as possible, religion and governance should stay as apart from each other.

तीनही लोकांचा राजा
आईविना होतो भिकारी
होऊन सारे वजा
उरल्या फक्त आठवणी

भूक, ठेच, वेदना
झेलताना मुखात “आई”
आता साद घालाया
शब्द जिभेवर नाही

गरजा, अडचणी, दुःख
घेणारी तू ओंजळीत
राहून सदा हसतमुख
मग आज का निजलीस?

प्रत्येक श्वासात बंधला
तू दिलेला प्राण
कुठे फेडू हे ऋण?
माझे मन मौन

कुठल्यातरी पूर्वीच्या जन्माचं
पुण्य असेल कदाचित
लाभलं तुझं छत्र
जन्मलो तुझ्या कुशीत

कुठल्यातरी पूर्वीच्या जन्माचं
पापच असेल कदाचित
मुकलो तुझ्या देहास
चिताही तुझी शीत