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

SWADHARMA & SWARAJ
hater of Religion. Therefore, rise for Swadharma and
acquire Swaraj !
" Rise for Swadharma and acquire Swaraj ! " What
divine events in the history of India are due to the reali-
sation of this principle ! The poet-saint Ramdas gave the
same dictum to the Mahrattas 250 years ago. " Die for
your Dharma, kill the enemies of your Dharma while you
are dying ; in this way fight and kill, and take back
your kingdom ! " ³
This alone is the principle in the Revolutionary War
of 1857. This is its mental science. The true and only
telescope which will show it in its true and clear form, is
the above verse of Ramdas.
Seeing at it through this telescope, what a spectacle
comes into view ! The war fought for Swadharma and
Swaraj does not lose its lustre by defeat. The splendour
of Guru Govind Singh's life is none the less, because his
efforts did not immediately succeed at the time. Nor do
we think the less of the rising of 1848 in Italy, because
the Revolution failed completely at that time.
Justin McCarthy says : " The fact was that through-
out the greater part of the northern and north-western
provinces of the Indian peninsula, there was a rebellion
of the native races against the English power. It was
not alone the Sepoy who rose in revolt—it was not by any
means a merely military mutiny. It was a combination of
military grievance, national hatred, and religious fanatic-
ism against the English occupation of India. The native
princes and the native soldiers were in it. The Maho-
medan and the Hindu forgot their old religious anti-
pathies to join against the Christian. Hatred and panic
3. धर्मासाठीं मरावें । मरोनि अवघ्यांस मारावें ।
मारितां मारितां घ्यावें । राज्य आपुलें
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