TH 38: Long Poem “Baji Prabhu”

This talk is based on Sri Aurobindo’s poem Baji Prabhu. This poem is full of heroism and velour and is centered around the legendary Maratha warrior Baji Prabhu, the famous General of Shiva ji who won for him the fort of Singhgadh at the cost of his own life. Baji Prabhu, the Commander of the great Maratha king Shivaji was guarding a small gorge with just two hundred soldiers against and army of twelve thousand Mughal, Rajput and Pathan soldiers. In front of imminent death, he fought valiantly with great valour keeping the gorge safe for a long time against impossible odds. Eventually he falls at the end of the battle but not before Shiva ji has arrived with reinforcements thus repelling the Mughal attack for good. The poem is full of the Vira rasa (the delight of heroism and courage) wherein the fight and war is uplifted to great heights where the spiritual powers that guard human destiny and the human instrument become one. Thus Sri Aurobindo immortalises this great Maratha hero through his unique poetic creativity giving us an example and an inspiration to emulate as well as the joy of tasting the essence of heroism.