Welcome to Eternal Path! This week we feature: Shivaji Maharaj’s conquest of Goa, books for developing shatrubodh, and and aesthetic!
History Highlight: Shivaji Maharaj in 1667
Shoutout to Khadgavaloka Dantidurga for their writeup about this anecdote, follow them at @Dantidurga on Twitter
The Portuguese conquest of Goa and the ensuing Goa Inquisition was a time when countless atrocities were committed upon the native Hindu population. Thousands of people were converted, those that refused to convert often had various limbs cut off or were tortured in other ways, and hundreds of temples were destroyed. In 1667 the Portuguese viceroy banned Hindu practices in Goa and ordered any practicing Hindus to leave. Shivaji Maharaj, the ruler of the adjacent Maratha Kingdom attacked Goa in response. The Marathas overran the Portuguese in Bardez.
Shivaji then asked four Christian priests to convert to Hinduism; upon their refusal, his forces beheaded them. The art below by Akash Kashid depicts this moment.
The Maratha victory in Bardez was so thorough that the Portuguese had to withdraw their order. Additionally, Shivaji and his forces reconstructed a few Hindu temples in the area.
Reading Highlight: Books for Shatrubodh
Shatrubodh (शत्रबुबोध) is a Sanskrit-derived term that loosely translates to “awareness of the opponent”. In the marketplace of global religions, all religions demonize outsiders to a degree, including Hinduism. While we are aware many of our readers may have been taught nonsense like “all religions are the same”, if you actually believe that, please unsubscribe immediately as you are too stupid and too far gone for this newsletter.
Understanding the differences between the Hindu worldview and the worldview of other religions is important; especially for those of us diaspora living in countries that are not majority Hindu. It is still important even for people in India, given that interreligious conflict has existed, exists, and will persist in the subcontinent.
To that effect, the folks at Jaipur Dialogues have curated a great reading list for shatrubodh purposes, the link is available here: https://www.thejaipurdialogues.com/sanatana/a-book-list-for-every-hindu-to-understand-shatrubodh/
We will summarize the list below:
Understanding Muhammad - Ali Sina
Calcutta Quran Petition - Sitaram Goel
Heroic Hindu Resistance to Muslim Invaders - Sitaram Goel
All Religions Are Not the Same - Sanjay Dixit
Jesus Christ: An Artifice of Agression - Sitaram Goel
Understanding Hadiths - Ram Swarup
Invaders and Infidels - Sandeep Balakrishna
Unbreaking India - Sanjay Dixit
India that is Bharat - J. Sai Deepak
Perversion of India’s Political Parlance - Sitaram Goel
Aesthetic: Maharashtra Temple
