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

THE VOLCANO
At about the same time in sacred Varanasi, there lived
in the retinue of Chimnaji Appa Peshwa, Moropant
Tambe and his wife Bhagirathi Bai. Little did the couple
know at the time that their name would become immortal
in History ! This couple, which had the good fortune of
giving birth to a daughter who was to be a veritable flash-
ing sword in the hands of Hindusthan, this couple hardly
understood its good fortune. Do the thorny branches know
that, in the spring, a rose, delighting all with its fragrance,
would spring forth from out of them ! But though the
branches knew it not, still, as soon as the spring time of
Hindusthan came, the flower did come forth ! It was in
1835 that Bhagirathi gave birth to the heroine, Ranee
Lakshmi Bai. This brave woman's name in youth was
Manu Bai.
When Manu was hardly three or four years old, the
whole family left Benares and went to the court of Baji-
rao at Brahmavarta. There she was so much liked by all
the people that they called her "Chabeli". Prince Nana
Sahib and the sweet Chabeli ! When two such children
braced each other in childish affection, what a sight must
it have been to the people of Brahmavarta ! What eyes
would not glisten with joy to see Prince Nana Sahib and
the Chabeli playing together in the armoury and learning
their lessons in sword-play—lessons which they were
destined to use in later life for the defence of their country
and their religion ? How limited, indeed, is the vision
of man ! When Nana Sahib and Lakshmi Bai were learn-
ing sword-play together, the spectators did not see the
future glory of these brilliant children, and now those
who do see their glory, have no longer the good fortune
to see those children's games of the past ! Still, if, to
remove the short-sightedness of these eyes of flesh, we put
on the spectacles of imagination, then we can easily see
those games of the past. While Nana Sahib and Rao
Sahib (his cousin) were learning their lessons under their
tutor, this Chabeli too would closely watch them, and
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