१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

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his country, saw the sufferings of his countrymen, noticed
the destruction of his religion and, diagnosing all these
chronic symptoms, he came to the conclusion that nothing
but the sword could cure that terrible disease of slavery.
Though it is not clear what was the ultimate ideal which
he set before himself, still, it would appear that, in his
opinion, the first thing to do was to drive the English out
by unsheathing the sword and thus get independence ; and
then, to set up an Indian Government under the banner
of the united authority of all the Indian princes. Before
his eyes rose clear the history of how Swadesh fell into
slavery through the turmoil of internecine quarrels. Before
him, on one side was the portrait of Shivaji Maharaj, on
the other of Baji Rao, his father. By seeing these two
pictures side by side, he could well contrast the past glory
and the present shame ! And, hence, Nana’s programme
was first to fight a united fight, to make India free and,
by removing internecine warfare, to establish the rule of
the United States of India which would, thus, take its
rightful place in the council of the free nations of
the earth.
He, also, felt that the meaning of “ Hindusthan ” was
thereafter the united nation of the adherents of Islam as
well as Hinduism. As long as the Mahomedans lived in
India in the capacity of the alien rulers, so long, to be
willing to live with them like brothers was to acknowledge
national weakness. Hence, it was, up to then, necessary
for the Hindus to consider the Mahomedans as foreigners.
And moreover this rulership of the Mahomedans, Guru
Govind in the Panjab, Rana Pratap in Rajputana, Chha-
trasal in Bundelkhand, and the Maharattas by even sitting
upon the throne at Delhi, had destroyed ; and, after a
future sovereignty at Cawnpore. The mighty power exercised by the
Peshwas was to be restored.; and to himself, the architect of his
own fortunes, would belong the glory of replacing that vanished
sceptre. There can be no doubt that some such thoughts influenced
him.”—Trevelyan : p. 133.
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