[16]: Manifest destiny of the Rajputs: To Thrive, To Excel & To Rule
धर म्हारी मूँ धणी, ढालू नेज़ा ढाल I
कूंण उतारे ठाकरा, ऊभा सीहा खाल II
(I, a Rajput, am the owner of this earth, wherever my spear makes its mark,
Who has the courage to unskin the lion standing stark?)
What is the manifest destiny of any Community? There are no easy answers. It depends on the choice of mode of existence they choose to live in. There are two possibilities here: “the way of the EROS” & “the way of the Thanatos”.
The way of the Eros is characterized by the creative potency in man; that builds the world. Just as a creative object exists first in the mind of its creator in the potential form which then forces itself out in the form of an expression. The way of Thanatos is characterized by destructive potential of man which includes aggression against others, irascible behavior or addiction. The way of Eros may also refer to love for conquest or overcoming insurmountable odds, while the way of Thanatos may also refer to self-deprecating ideas of surrendering ones rights.
Thus a community’s destiny depends on the type of people that make that community and the values they cultivate. So what should be the destiny of the Kshatriya community?
The Kshatriyas’ destiny is to rule, gain power and be wary of silently accepting the rule of unwise and oppressive regimes with policies against them. The harmful dictum, whether it is that of the government. any independent agency or even that of any community organization, should be avoided without thinking. Nothing must be accepted without questioning. There must be no question of following such policies which are against the Kshatriyas.
Rajput and Kshatriya are synonyms of each other. No school is needed to make Rajputs Kshatriyas. Kshatriya can be good or bad. Can be of divine or demonic nature. Duryodhana was also a Kshatriya, Dushasan too, Ajatshatru who imprisoned his father and Uday Singh who killed his father Maharana Kumbha. Karma can be good or bad, you can tell how an ideal Kshatriya should be, like how an ideal man should be. But even if he is not ideal, he will still be a human and his progeny will also be human.
A Rajput should focus on how to move forward, how to progress and grow in today’s time. We should pay attention to how we get power and serve our interests. Being a member of this society, we must respect for each other like brothers. Let us not let malice and arrogance come in the way of the collective interest of the society. We must act diligently and achieve a respectable place in the society that our great ancestor’s blood that runs in us should not be ashamed. Our forefathers did not achieve kingdoms and power by persuasion and humility, they did so with the minds and muscle power of their brothers. And it is possible in future as well.
We will never be benefited by bowing down to any Pandit ji or observe a “please all” attitude” – our forefathers attained power to conquer and run their states smoothly, only through the most updated knowledge and with the help of their clan-kinsmen i.e. brothers and sisters And when Panditji and the Darbari class sowed the seeds of distrust in them towards their near and dear ones, their decline heralded. Bitter truth will be conveyed by our own and flattery always by foes, it depends on us who we take seriously.
( Written with help of Raj Singh Udawat Rathore)