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April 10, 2026
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"Now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be the objects of their fury, (for they would not have spared any, had there remained any other work to be done,) Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple, but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency; that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne; and so much of the wall as enclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison, as were the towers also spared, in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valor had subdued; but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to by the madness of those that were for innovations; a city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind."
"The stress and strain of siege Prove the true metal and detect the base. But slur not Capua; for each counterfeit, Whose soul is in his purse, or in his mouth, We have a hundred hearts of steel, resolved To fire our temples, ere we yield our towers. We are in straits; but think ye that in Rome They walk on roses; where they melt their Gods In change for stores of rotten grain that sink In crazy vessels? In a mortal strife He wins who can endure to suffer most."
"Corpses across the threshold; heroes tall Dislodging pinnacle and parapet Upon the tortoise creeping to the wall; Lances in ambush set."
"Their targets in a tortoise cast, the foes, Secure advancing, to the turrets rose: Some mount the scaling-ladders; some, more bold, Swerve upwards, and by posts and pillars hold: Their left hand gripes their bucklers in the ascent, While with the right they seize the battlement. From the demolished towers, the Trojans throw Huge heaps of stones, that, falling, crush the foe: And heavy beams and rafters from the sides, (Such arms their last necessity provides!) And gilded roofs, come tumbling from on high, The marks of state, and ancient royalty. The guards below, fixed in the pass, attend The charge undaunted, and the gate defend. Renewed in courage with recovered breath, A second time we ran to tempt our death, To clear the palace from the foe, succeed The weary living, and revenge the dead."
"As when it happ’neth that some lovely towne, Unto a barbarous besieger falles, Who there by sword and flame himselfe enstalles, And, cruell, it in teares and blood doth drowne; Her beauty spoyl’d, her citizens made thralles, His spight yet so cannot her all throw downe, But that some statue, arch, phan of renowne Yet lurkes unmaym’d within her weeping walles: So, after all the spoile, disgrace, and wrake, That time, the world, and death could bring combin’d, Amidst that masse of ruines they did make, Safe and all scarre-lesse yet remaines my minde: From this so high transcending rapture springes, That I, all else defac’d, not envie kinges."
"Cum pressus ab hoste clauditur externis miles Romanus in oris, effugit exiguo nocturna pericula uallo, et subitus rapti munimine caespitis agger praebet securos intra tentoria somnos: tu tantum audito bellorum nomine, Roma, desereris; nox una tuis non credita muris."
"To scale a castle-wall, Besiege a fort, to undermine a town, And make whole cities caper in the air."
"The queens deeply thought over the situation and then sent a letter to Kanhadade. They wrote:'*” "The glorious kingdom of the Chauhans is all the more dearer to us today (when men here will fight to the last and we will enter the Jauhar fire).'“* By the time the letter reaches you, we will have performed Jauhar." And to the queens of Kanhadade-Umade, Kamalade, Jaitalde and Bhavala Devi'4°— Satala's queens wrote, dearly and touchingly: "What has befallen us today, you may perhaps also experience tomorrow, if such is the wish of God. Kindly continue your affection for us though time has come to take leave in this life. Bid us adieu till we meet again in the next life!"'” After this they delayed not. They dressed for the occasion, bedecking themselves with omaments and fineries. Large quantities of sandalwood were brought. Then their family members gathered to meet them for the final parting.' Such was the courage of the queens that they calmly entered the Jauhar fire, reciting the name of Lord Rama, while hot tears trickled down from the eyes of their most near and dear ones."
"‘What to say of those sinners (Turks) and their deeds! They killed cow and placing a machine (yantra) over the pile of bags, they flung the dead cow into the waters of the pond.'*" At dawn, when young women went to the pond to fill their pitchers, they found that the water, always clean and clear, looked ruddy,'? and head of a cow was floating above the surface of the water. The water being polluted, no one even brushed his teeth near the pond or washed his face, nor the Panihd@rins filled their pitchers.'*? Soon people flocked to the pond to have alook and were deeply pained on seeing the sorry sight. Water is after all the mainstay of this universe, the maintainer of all life.“ Even the high and mighty Ranas and Rais cannot live without it even for a moment. So thought Satala and then sent forhis queens. When they had arrived, he asked them as to what they might do now?'*5 The queens replied: "Our Lord ! What is there to be thought now? "We all shall enter the Jauhar (Jamahari) fire! The Hindus regard cow as sacred, and its blood is in the water of the pond.' There is no hope left now for continuance of this life; we will not like to survive on this water in any case.""
"Invasion of Dvarasamudra. — On Sunday, the 22nd of Ramzan, Malik Kafur held a council of war. Apparently as a result of a resolution he took with him a select body of cavalry, and appeared before the fort of Dhur Samundar on the fifth of Shawwal ' after a difficult march of twelve days over hills and valleys and thorny forests.' Seeing the destructive character of the invasion, the ruler Vira Ballala III having ascertained the strength of the Muhammadan army sent agents to propose peace, though Vira Pandya had despatched an army to assist him. Malik Kafur is stated to have sent the reply ' that he was sent with the object of converting him to Muhammadanism, or of making him zimmi (one who could enjoy the same political privileges as the Muhammadans on payment of Jiziya) and subject to pay tax, or of slaying him, if neither of these terms were assented to.' The Rai agreed to surrender all his property ' except his sacred thread ' and on Friday the sixth of Shawwal, six elephants were sent accompanied by three plenipotentiaries. The next day some horses followed and on the Sunday following he is himself said to have paid a visit to the Commander-in-Chief and surrendered all his treasures, having spent a whole night in taking them out. Malik Kafur remained twelve days in that city, which, according to Amir Khusru, is four months distant from Delhi, to which he sent the captured elephants."
Young though he was, his radiant energy produced such an impression of absolute reliability that Hedgewar made him the first sarkaryavah, or general secretary, of the RSS.
- Gopal Mukund Huddar
Largely because of the influence of communists in London, Huddar's conversion into an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against fascism was quick and smooth. The ease with which he crossed from one worldview to another betrays the fact that he had not properly understood the world he had grown in.
Huddar would have been 101 now had he been alive. But then centenaries are not celebrated only to register how old so and so would have been and when. They are usually celebrated to explore how much poorer our lives are without them. Maharashtrian public life is poorer without him. It is poorer for not having made the effort to recall an extraordinary life.
I regret I was not there to listen to Balaji Huddar's speech [...] No matter how many times you listen to him, his speeches are so delightful that you feel like listening to them again and again.
By the time he came out of Franco's prison, Huddar had relinquished many of his old ideas. He displayed a worldview completely different from that of the RSS, even though he continued to remain deferential to Hedgewar and maintained a personal relationship with him.