Hindi translation of this article is available
Sanskrit Rajmudra after many years,
After the Muslim invasion of India, the Rajmudras were mostly made in Arabic, Persian or Urdu languages. But when Shivaji Maharaj founded the Hindu Empire, then after many years for the first time he made his Rajmudra which was in Sanskrit.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s Rajmudra and Sanskrit verses inscribed on Rajmudra and the meaning of that verse in Hindi, Marathi or English language can be easily found everywhere. And those meanings are mostly true. But most of those meanings are exaggerated and after reading those meanings, we do not understand anything about the original verse.
Here we are trying to know the literal meaning of Rajmudra of Chhatra Shivaji Maharaj.
The Sanskrit verse on the Rajmudra of Chhatrapati Shivaji
प्रतिपच्चन्द्रलेखेव वर्धिष्णुर्विश्ववन्दिता। शाहसूनोः शिवस्यैषा मुद्रा भद्राय राजते॥
Roman transliteration of the Shloka
pratipaccandralekheva vardhiṣṇurviśvavanditā|
śāhasūnoḥ śivasyaiṣā mudrā bhadrāya rājate||
The parsing of the shloka
प्रतिपद्-चन्द्रलेखा इव वर्धिष्णुः विश्ववन्दिता।
शाहसूनोः शिवस्य एषा मुद्रा भद्राय राजते॥
Now we will see the meaning of each word
- प्रतिपद्-चन्द्रलेखा – the moon after new moon day
- इव – like
- वर्धिष्णुः – increasing
- विश्ववन्दिता – worshipped by the whole world
- शाहसूनोः – of the son of Shah (Here Shah means Shivaji’s father Shahaji Maharaj.)
- शिवस्य – Shiva’s (Shiva – Shivaji Maharaj)
- एषा – this
- मुद्रा – Rajmudra
- भद्राय – for welfare (Bhadra – Kalyan. Bhadraya – for welfare. Other meanings of Bhadra are – auspicious, good)
- राजते – is.
There are four parts in the Rajmudra.
1. प्रतिपच्चन्द्रलेखा इव वर्धिष्णुः Pratipachchandralekha Eva Vardishnu:
Ascending like the moon after new moon day.
2. विश्ववन्दिता Vishvavandita
worshipped by the world. (That is, whom the whole world has worshipped.)
3. शाहसूनोः शिवस्य Shahasuno: Shivasya
Shahaji’s son Shivaji’s
4. एषा मुद्रा भद्राय राजते Esha Mudra Bhadraya Rajate.
This mudra (Rajmudra) is for welfare. (That is, for the welfare of the people.)
Anvay of the Shloka
एषा शाहसूनोः शिवस्य प्रतिपच्चन्द्रलेख इव वर्धिष्णुः विश्ववन्दिता मुद्रा भद्राय राजते।
One line English translation of the Rajmudra of Shivaji Maharaj
This Rajmudra of Shivaji, son of Shahji, which grows like the moon after new moon day, is for the welfare of the people.
Explanation of the Shloka on Chh. Shivaji’s Rajmudra
Shivaji Maharaj was a lover of Sanskrit
We saw what is the meaning of the Rajmudra of Shivaji Maharaj. This Rajmudra tells a lot. One thing is that Rajmudra is in the Sanskrit language. This thing proves that Shivaji Maharaj was a Sanskrit lover.
Shivaji’s respect to his father In the
Father’s name is mentioned before Shivaji’s name – शाहसूनोः शिवस्य (Shahasoonoh Shivasya). That means Shahaji’s son Shivaji.
Shivaji Maharaj could not get much love from his father. However, love, respect and reverence for his father are reflected in this Rajmudra.
Perhaps this is the result of the education of his mother (Mata Jijabai).
Public welfare
Rajmudra says – Mudra Bhadraya Rajate. That is, this Rajmudra is for public welfare. This is a very revolutionary idea. Because that was the period when the Sultans of different places used to oppress the subjects. No one else imagined that a king’s kingdom should be for the welfare of the subjects.
Thank you.
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