Seven Brave Souls Poem by Thinker Shah

My poetic tribute to Swaraj hero Prataprao Gujar—the trusted Commander-in-Chief (सरनोबत) of Ch. Shivaji Maharaj who, on this day (24th February) , died at the Battle of Nesari while wildly charging (with only six associates) at the large army of Bahlol Khan, whom he had pardoned earlier.
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When Shiva launched his Swaraj fight,
Most heroic struggle that the world ever knew,
There were countless unsung heroes,
Whose help made Raje's dreams come true.

One such braveheart we reminisce today,
Born at Bhosare, Kudtoji Gujar was his name.
Through fearless gallantry, he stormed the ranks,
Called 'Prataprao, ' given his glory and fame.

When captain Netoji Palkar was sacked,
Shivaji, from Mughals, faced a lot of grief.
During such trying times, Maharaj made
Prataprao—the Maratha commander-in-chief.

A fierce warrior and a motivating leader,
He fought valiantly against every odd.
Mughals and Adilshahi were awe-struck;
Among his foes, he struck the fear of God.

At Salher, mighty Mughals were vanquished
After a blood-soaked and tumultuous fight.
Fewer Marathas made Mughals bite the dust,
And Prataprao's glory blazed to a new height.

Bahlol Khan, an Afghan warlord at Bijapur,
With a huge army, left to capture Panhala fort.
Raje Shivaji got the wind of Bahlol's moves,
Sent Prataprao to cut the Afghan's plans short.

At Umarani, near Bijapur, both armies met;
Prataprao's battle tactics carried the day.
Khan's army was encircled and trounced;
And the saffron flag of Marathas held sway.

Parched and dying without a drop of water,
Bijapuri army begged Prataprao for peace.
Bahlol promised his Maratha adversaries
All his attacks on Swaraj shall now cease.

Carried away by Indian traditions of chivalry,
Prataprao fell for Bahlol's treacherous plea.
Based on his promise—not to fight again,
Marathas allowed the duplicitous Khan to flee.

True to his style, Bahlol Khan cheated,
And broke every word of peace he gave.
With new vigour, he attacked Marathas,
Who paid for showing mercy to a knave.

At Raigad, Raje heard the news of this folly;
Seething with blind rage, he lost his cool.
In a stinging missive, he rebuked Gujar,
Asking him how he could be such a fool.

A scathing letter from Raigad Shivaji wrote:
'You've been a fool and such a disgrace.
Now, till you capture perfidious Khan again,
You should no more show me your face.'

Stung, Prataprao now was in deep remorse,
Hearing his leader's brutal reprimand.
His heart now ached for a quick revenge;
Each word of Raje felt like a blazing brand.

Thus, Prataprao learnt it the very hard way:
Misplaced charity shown to an evil snake
Comes back often to bite the generous,
And turns out to be a humongous mistake.

Maharaj's words were ultimate for Gujar;
Every letter of the Raje's letter did singe.
He could easily face Mughals and Afghans,
But not such a deadly rebuke from his king.

When dolorous Gujar was so dismayed
And in a sea of contrition, he was drowned,
It was just then he heard the big news:
His antagonist Bahlol was just around.

Now Bahlol had his huge army with him,
And Prataprao had soldiers only a few.
A frontal assault would be sheer suicide
And would mean decimation of his crew.

The lips of the warrior twitched in fury;
His hand touched the hilt of his sword.
This was the chance to get at his foe
And to set straight the ignominious record.

Anguish engulfed the body of the warrior;
A sense of revenge gripped his entire frame.
This was the time to hit out at the snake
And for the history books to clear his name.

Unsheathing his sword from the scabbard,
In a rage, Gujar mounted his battle steed.
Six of his valiant friends joined the hero,
Who knew no fear nor any worldly greed.

Seven brave souls charged at an army;
Even the gods came to cherish this sight.
Afghans and Bijapuris were by hundreds slain
In perhaps history's most unequal fight.

Seven warriors fought like men possessed,
But in the end, perished all frenzied seven.
The world took notice of the unparalleled valour,
And the gods opened the doors of heaven!

At Raigad, Shivaji Raje heard the gloomy news
And lamented the loss of his brave lion.
Maharaj, in his small way, tried to make up,
Wedding Prataprao's daughter to his scion.

All seven reckless fighters will always live;
Their reputation etched in history with gold.
Immortalized by their supreme sacrifice,
They will be remembered till our history is told.

Many such brave men died for Swaraj
And for the Maratha empire paved the way.
A huge debt we owe to those who perished,
So that India can be with Indians today!