Shriman Yogi  (Marathi, Paperback, DESAI RANJEET)

Shrimanyogi is a book on Chatrapathi Shivaji by the popular Marathi writer Ranjeet Desai.

Summary Of The Book

Shrimanyogi is a biographical work on the life and the achievements of the great Maratha king, Chatrapathi Shivaji. Shivaji has been a legendary figure in the Indian history.

Shivaji was one of the major influences on the revival of nationalism and Hindu culture during a period when centuries of rule by Muslim invaders had induced a condition of apathy and indifference in the people.

Shivaji successfully created a Hindu kingdom during Aurangzeb's rule, and his achievements were many. Over the years, many legends have been added to Shivaji’s life, and it is hard to filter out these embellishments and just focus on the facts.

The author has done his best to build this book just on facts. And the facts alone are interesting enough to highlight the achievements of this legendary king.

Though Shivaji’s rise was during the time of Aurangzeb, his main confrontation was with the Sultanate of Adil Shah rather than with the Mughals. Shivaji was a man who built a dynasty starting from nothing. His motivations were always immense pride in his culture and love for his motherland.

However, he was not a bigot and treated all his subjects equally well, irrespective of their religion and other divisions. His battles were mostly with Muslim rulers, but he never showed any animosity towards the Muslim inhabitants of his kingdom.

Shivaji’s period was the height of  glory in Maratha history. His achievements served as an inspiration to later generations of nationalists like Bal Gangadhar Tilak. His stories inspired people who were fighting for the country’s independence from the British rule.

The author has presented Shivaji as he really was, with no embellishments. Shivaji was a dynamic leader, a warrior, and a nobleman. He was religious without being fanatic, he was a believer, but not superstitious, he was courageous but not foolish. He was a visionary who dreamt of building a Hindu kingdom in a region that was surrounded by Muslim dynasties. Yet, he was extremely practical.

Shivaji was a courageous warrior and a great tactician. At the same time, he was also a very good administrator and the kingdom he was building up became stronger under his rule. He suffered many defeats too, but he never gave up his vision, and ultimately, he did succeed in making his dream a reality.

Shivaji’s real achievement, the most enduring one, was that he revived a love of the land and its ancient culture in the minds of people who had stopped caring for a long time. He instilled a sense of pride and confidence in their minds, displacing the indifference and bleakness that had been their attitude for long.

His legacy induced a sense of pride and nationalism in the people that has endured for centuries, inspiring different generations in fighting the different challenges that faced the nation.

The author, in this book, has captured all the different facets of Shivaji’s personality that contributed towards this legacy, and thus gives the reader a sense of involvement in the events taking place in the story.

About Rajneet Desai

Ranjeet Desai was a renowned Marathi writer, who wrote many short stories, novels and plays.

His other plays include Kanchan Mrug, Swami, Mekh Mogari, Sneha Dhara, Prapat, and Maza Gaon.

His books earned him a lot of awards, including the Hari Narayan Apte Award, Sahitya Akademi award, and the Padmashree.