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

TEMPORARY PACIFICATION
man fixes upon such a moment when boldness and spirit
will reap the greatest possible fruits. Revolutions do not
follow the rules of arithmetic. They succeed through
the enormous strength of the spirit in the heart of man.
They cool down by the sluggishness of inaction. They
are kept up only by the heat of action. Calmness, mathe-
matics, and the fixing of the day are all for the period
of preparation. But when once the bugle has sounded
and the drum been beaten, then there must be started at
once determined fighting without any regard of life. One
who hesitates then is certain to lose in the end. One
who only just then begins to think out whether it is
better to rise or not, is doomed for ever. Calmness in
preparation, but boldness in execution, this should be
the watchword. During preparation, one may and even
ought to proceed cautiously, step by step, even as on a
carpet ; but when the Revolution has once broken out,
one must dart forth like an arrow without faltering a
moment, even through living fire ! Then let there be
success or defeat, let there be life or death—there should
be stubborn war, men should be ready to “ die while
killing.” For when once the drum of war is beaten, the
best road to success in a Revolution lies in advancing
and never in waiting.
The south forgot this cardinal principle. It did not rise
as soon as the north rose. It proceeded slowly, stagger-
ing every now and then. Over-anxiety about success, and
only spasmodic, isolated risings that followed as its conse-
quence, necessarily led to nothing but certain failure.
How this came to pass .we shall review in brief.
There were three important regiments in the south, the
27th at Kolhapur, the 29th at Belgaum, and the 28th at
Dharwar. When the plans of the Rising were made by
means of correspondence, the 10th of August was fixed
upon as the day on which they were to rise. But an
English army was in the meanwhile being sent to Kolha-
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