MURDER OF SAINT TUKARAM AND CHATRAPATI SHIVAJI By
Purushottam Khedekar Translated by Dr. K. Jamanadas, "Shalimar", Main Road, Chandrapur - 442 402 "Murder Of Saint Tukaram And Chatrapati Shivaji"; This is the title of an article by Purushottam Khedekar, published in '*Mahanayak*' Marathi daily from Mumbai dated 11th March 2007, published by courtesy of '*Maratha Marg*'. Mr. Khedekar does not need any introduction; suffice it to say that he is the founder of religion '*Shiva Dharma*'. The following is the translation of it. Hope the readers of DV family would like to know about the subject, which is not well known outside Maharashtra. Need for the subject Saint Tukaram Maharaj was murdered by the 'Ramdasi' Brahmins; if this kind of construct is made, it belittles the name of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji would not have let them be alive, who murdered Tukaram; this is the emotional construct presented to the masses by the '*pracharaks'* of the '*ramdasi samlingi* *sangha*' RSS and the *kirtankars.* Common masses fall prey to this argument and so the gullible common *Varkari *believes that Tukaram went to *Vaikuntha* in his mortal body. Family Background of Tukaram Tukaram was the noblest egalitarian great personality of the seventeenth century craving for equality and change of system. He was a great intellectual and immensely rich. His family was '*Mahajans* of *Mahajans*'. That means an institution as rich as, what today we understand as the Reserve Bank of India. The money lenders of those days used to give debts and finance the kingdoms of various kingdoms like Adil Shahi, Kutub Shahi, Moghul Shahi, the Dutch, the French; and the '*Mahajans'* used to stand as surety for such hundreds of money lenders. Those days, Tukaram Maharaj was the only Mahajan right from Central India and whole of Southern India. His wife, named Awali or Jeejai, was daughter of a *sawakar *(money lender) Gulwe of Poona. Tukaram was a son of *Mahajan.* He was never poor. His elder brother Savaji was highly intelligent and analytical about religion. A great dignitary Shri Vishwambhar Buva, a contemporary of Saint Namdeva, was his ancestor. Theirs was the Gasai family of Shaivaite Nath Panth tradition. The three brothers Savaji, Tukaram and younger Kanhoji belonged to this family. Savaji learned Vedas and other religious books and was successful in awakening the masses against the exploitation in Vedic religion. He had defeated the Shankaracharya in debate. His revolt was spreading in the society. Therefore, the Vedic Brahmins were infuriated and caused the murder of Savaji at the young age of twenty three and destroyed all his writings. Tukaram was highly influenced by Savaji. Tukaram, in young age only, had promised his elder brother all his support. Therefore, after the murder of Savaji, Tukaram, at young age of twenty, undertook the unfinished work of his elder brother. The area of Dehu, where they resided came under the kingdom of Adil Shahi of Bijapur. So the political power was of Adil Shahi and the religious power was of Vedic Shahi, under which Tukaram flourished. Times of Tukaram Tukaram had voluntarily undertaken the full time responsibility of propagating elder brother's work of mass awakening. Time was 1629 CE. There was a great famine. The masses were oppressed by political power as well as religious power. Tukaram took into confidence, his younger brother Kanhoji, and destroyed all the debt documents of farmers, drowning in river Indrayani. This was two hundred years before Karl Marx, that Tukaram gave hundred percent debt reliefs. He was the first person to this in the history of mankind. In today's rupee value, the amount would be approximately Rs. four thousand crores. After this, Tukaram assembled the old accomplices and associates of Savaji and started his fight in the society against the exploitation of custodians of religion. He was twenty two years of age. That was the time, when birth took place of Chatrapati Shivaji on Shivneri fort on 19th February, 1630 CE. Shivneri was under Nizam Shahi, whereas Dehu was under Adil Shahi. Pune was the *jagir* of Shahu Maharaj and a Brahmin Sardar Murar Jagdev of Adil Shaha had burnt down the city of Pune and destroyed it. Work of Tukaram Tukaram was busy in awakening the masses through bhajans, kirtans. He used to explain the Bahujans through his expositions about the how Vedic Brahmins were looting them. He used to say that the ideas of god, fortune, sin, virtue, heaven, hell, *vaikuntha*, *vratas*, and fate etc. are all false and are the means of feeding the Brahmins. He used to utter the scientific words like *anu* and *renu* and put forward the scientific tenets. The society was getting awakened. Brahmins were infuriated, so were the Bahujans. Brahmins disappeared from Dehu area. Till 200 CE, (sic.) there was not a single house of Brahmins in village Dehu. The day of murder And on one such day taking advantage of the situation when villagers were busy in activities of hassles of *Dhulvad* (second day of Holi) and inebriated, a group of rowdy Brahmins entered the town sprinkling colors, beating drums, making loud noise and surrounded Tukaram. As a part of fun of Holi, this was ignored by all. But the women got suspicious. There was hue and cry. But the sound of drums subdued all and caused confusion. Brahmins, Rameshswar Bhat, Salomalo Bhat and others dragged Tukaram to the banks of Indrayani River and killed him there. They tied a stone to his body and threw it in the running water, thus making the dead body untraceable. The date was 9th March 1649. Shivaji's activities That time, Shivaji was nineteen years of age. He was stationed in Rajgad. His father Shahaji was under detention under custody of Adil Shaha. Shivaji was yet to be fully well known to the masses. The fort of Purandar was under siege of Fatekhan, a Sardar of Adil Shah. He had won back some area of the * Swaraj*. The town Dehu of Tukaram Maharaj was under the area of fort of Kondana. Adil Shah had a suspicion that Tukaram is guiding Shivaji, and hence he was against Tukaram. In January 1647, by the order of Dadoji Konddev, the literature of Tukaram was drowned in the river Indrayani and Tukaram was excommunicated by the Brahmins. Those were the days of festival of Holi, and the Day of Dhulwad. King Shahaji was in prison. Shivaji was under siege of fort Purandar. All the warriors like Veer Baji Pasalkar, Baji Jethe, Godami Jagtap, Shivimkar, Yesaji and all others were busy in fighting the siege. Jijau, mother of Shivaji was on Rajgad, busy in affairs of administration and justice. This was the opportunity, the Brahmins sought, and a radical terrorist group of Brahmins murdered Tukaram. This is the history. When Tukaram was murdered, Shivaji himself had not become stable fully. He was not crowned as Chatrapati. He had just started somehow assembling the * Mavales*, and building *Swaraj*. Strong enemies like Moghul and Adil Shahi was in opposition. Therefore, Tukaram was murdered in spite of presence of Shivaji. There is nothing to wonder or be surprised about it. His murder is the truth. Appeal to the masses During recent years, John Kennedy the President of USA was murdered. Two Prime Ministers of India, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were murdered by cruel extremists. In history, Bahidrath, the grandson of Emperor Ashok, was murdered by his own Brahmin commander. When the Kings and Prime Ministers under heavy security can be murdered, how easy it is to murder an unarmed saint. This was shown by Nathuram Godse by murdering M. Gandhi. Godse also was a Brahmin. Gandhi was Father of Nation. That Gandhi would be murdered was known to Morarji Desai. Godse killed Gandhi under guidance of Sawarkar. The same Sawarkar is now being taught in the schools as a national hero and has reached the premises of Loksabha. Therefore, the Marathas, the Varkaris, the devotees of Tukaram, the * kirtankars*, all are appealed not to be emotional. Tukaram Maharaj, who himself denied the existence of *vaikuntha*, how can he go to *Vaikuntha*? The Brahmin society is taking advantage of our ignorance to conceal their brutal cruelty. 'Do not believe only because it is said by many; use your own judgment what is true and what is untrue'. This is what Tukaram Maharaj preached. That preaching should be accepted. After death of Tukaram, his wife Jijai went to her parents. Later Sambhaji helped them. Narayan Maharaj started *Palkhi *to Pandharpur. Brahmins stopped singing the *aarati* of Tukaram in the Dnyanoba's *vari*. Crores of us Varkaris we are tolerating this. Even then we are being asked how it is possible for Brahmins to murder Tukaram during rule of Shivaji. This is called '*bhaitad panaa*' (stupidity) of Marathas.
