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

THE CONFLAGRATION
A faithful servant, Ramchandra Rao Deshmukh, was
near. He took her to a cottage near by. Ganga Das
Bawa gave her cold water to drink to quench her thirst
and a bed to lie down upon. Bathed in blood, this
goddess of war reclined on the bed, and then her soul
quietly fleeted from her body to heaven ! As soon as
she was dead, Ramchandra Rao, in accordance with her
dying instructions prepared a pile of grass unseen by the
enemy ; he put her on that pyre and, before the touch
of slavery could defile even her dead body, she was
cremated.
On the pyre, if not on the throne ! But Lakshmi is still
with her sweetheart Liberty ! She has forced open the
gates of death by falling in battle and has now entered
the other world. Pursuit can no longer harm her.
Wicked Pursuit must pass through those roaring flames
before it can do so.
Thus fought Lakshmi. She had achieved her purpose,
fulfilled her ambition, carried out her resolve ! One such
life vindicates the whole existence of a nation ! She was
the concentrated essence of all virtues. A mere woman,
hardly twenty-three yet, beautiful as rose, charming in
her manners, pure of conduct, she had a power of organi-
sation of her subjects, exhibited by very few, even
among men. The flame of patriotism was always burn-
ing in her heart. And she was proud of her country's
honour and pre-eminent in war ! It is very rarely that
a nation is so fortunate as to be able to claim such an
angelic person, as a daughter and a queen. That honour
has not yet fallen to the lot of England. In the Revolu-
tion of Italy, high ideals and heroism of the very highest
type are to be found ; yet, in all this period of glory,
Italy could not give birth to a Lakshmi !
But, even our land could hardly have given birth to such
a Queen but for this glorious War of Independence ! The
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