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

THE CONFLAGRATION
in a narrower sense, a restoration to him of his ancient
throne, still in a wider and truer sense, it was no restora-
tion at all. For, the Mogul dynasty of old was not chosen
by the people of the land. It was thrust upon India by
sheer force, dignified by the name of conquest, and upheld
by a powerful pack of alien adventurers and native self-
seekers. It was not this throne that was restored to
Bahadur Shah today. No, that would have been impossi-
ble ; for, such thrones are conquered and not received.
That would have been suicidal ; for, then, it would have
been in vain that the blood of hundreds of Hindu martyrs
had been shed in the three or four centuries preceding.
Ever since the rising power of Islam left its native wilds
of Arabisthan and went conquering East and West, ir-
resistible and unchallenged, country after country and
people after people had been made to prostrate in sub-
mission to Islam. But the unopposed wave was opposed,
for the first time in the land of Bharat, with such strenu-
ous, uncompromising, and undaunted tenacity as could be
found only very rarely in other histories. For more than
five centuries the struggle continued ; for more than five
centuries the Hindu civilisation had been fighting a
defensive war against the foreign encroachment on its
birth-rights. From the death of Prithvi Raj right up to
the death of Aurangzeb, the war was without a truce.
And in the midst of this gory struggle of countless years,
a Hindu power arose in the western mountains of Bharat
Varsha which was destined to fulfil the mission of the
innumerable dead, who fell fighting in protecting the
honour of the race. From out of Poona, a Hindu prince
Bhausahib—advanced with a mighty host, captured the
throne of Delhi, and vindicated the honour of the Hindu
civilisation : the conqueror was conquered and India was
again free, the blot of slavery and defeat being wiped off.
Hindus again were masters of the land of the Hindus.
So, in the truer sense, we said that the raising of Bahadur
Shah to the throne of India was no restoration at all. But
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