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

THE CONFLAGRATION
He had avenged his wrongs ; he had, with poor means,
worsted a mighty foe more than once in a fair battle-
field ; he had not proved a traitor to the nation nor a
renegade to his Dharma but had broken the chains that
bound his land and made her free so far as one man could
do it, and to-day, in a noble field, he had been crowned by
Victory’s own hands with a wreath of laurels. Then, this
is the auspicious day : this is the supreme moment for
you, O great Rajput, to close your eyes for ever, to lay
down your body—not through disease, but even as a
worthy sacrifice to the cause of your Mother’s freedom,
by the wounds received on the battle-field ! Let your
death be as noble and as matchless as was your life !
He died on that day and under the banner of a free peo-
ple. What nobler death can a Rajput wish for ?⁸
The personality of Shrimant Kumar Singh is striking in
more than one respect. His personal dash and high
character had naturally infused in his army the two indis-
pensable virtues of discipline and bravery. It is rarely
the case that persons who are called upon to lead a
nation’s regeneration are in their private morals as un-
impeachable as they are unchallengeable in their public
ability. This rare consistency of character was conspicu-
ous in great degree in the life of this great Indian. Such
was the influence of his pure conduct on his people that
none would dare even to smoke openly in their verandahs
for fear of being seen by him. Amongst all the leaders
of the Revolutionaries in 1857, there was none who could
surpass Kumar Singh in military ability. It was he who
at once grasped the utility of guerilla warfare in the War
of Independence and it was he alone who could imitate
the masterful tactics of a veteran guerilla leader like
Shivaji. If we compare the two great generals that 1857
8. The English historian, Holmes, says : “ The old Rajput who
had fought so honourably and so bravely against the British power
died on April 26, 1858.”—History of the Sepoy War.
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