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SEPTEMBER, 1921]
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM OF SHIVAJI
253
Now, some of the women had big kitchen knives in their hands; and with these they cut for themselves a way out of the belly of the python, and thus escaped.
A number of bystanders, too, cried out and made a loud noise, for the people were still there, not having finished the grating of the food for the kun deú-rö festival. The python then went off into the jungle.
The only occupation of that python now-a-days is to swallow the sun and moon occasionally, which is the cause of the eclipses ; for having proved himself able to swallow human beings, he sometimes goes in for attempting to swallow the sun and the moon.
(To be continued.)
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM OF SHIVAJI.
BY SURENDRANATH SEN, M.A.
(Continued from p. 226. ) If Fryer's account is borne out by facts, the state of the country was terrible indeed.
But Fryer had made only a short trip through Shivaji's dominions Fryer examined. and his stay there was by no means long. It does not appear probable that his account was based on personal experience of first band knowledge of any other kind. Shivaji is still adored as an ideal king, and people referred to his institutions with admiration in days of anarchy and misrule. Traditions may be exaggerated but they are never baseless. Traditions attribute all sorts of good institutions to such good rulers as Alfred and Elizabeth, but legends have not hitherto paid any tribute to the memory of such bad kings as John or James II. It is a very important point that the memory of Shivaji is still cherished by the people of Maharashtra as that of a great and good king. If he had really tortured his Brahmin officers with red hot pincers and they in their turn had dealt out similar treatment to the Desais, Shivaji would not have been revered as an incarnation of Shri Shambhu Mahadev. We have already seen how the great Maratha had striven to liberate the poor peasant from the tyranny of the Deshmukhs and the Deshpandes; it therefore seems improbable that he should have allowed his officers to force lands on the Desais at an exorbitant rate, Far from molesting Brahmans, Shivaji never offered any insult to holy men and holy place of his Muhammadan enemies. Although many temples and idols were defiled and desecrated by the Muhammadan bigote, Shivaji never failed to send any copy of the Koran, he might come in possession of, to some of his Muhammadan officers. Even Khafi Khan, an inveterate enemy of the Maratha hero, paid him an unwilling compliment on that account. 90 Dellon. & French Doctor, who visited the western coast about the same time as Fryer, remarks that, “His (Shivaji's) subjects are pagans, like himself. But he tolerates all religions and is looked upon as one of the most politic princes in those parts."91 Shivaji styled himself as Go Brahman Pratipalak, the protector of Brahmins and cows, and could hardly with any consistency to his professed ambition have overlooked the conduct of his officers, if they really tortured the Brahmans. Fryer's story therefore seems to be baseless. Corruption certainly existed and instances of tyranny and misrule doubtless oocurred. Shivaji in the midst of those wars of conquest and defence could hardly get any time for improving # Elliot and Dowson, Vol. VII, p. 260.
1 Dellon, pp. 56-57.
