The Winds of Wonder

“The Fort is won but the Lion is lost”

This is a history-based poem in Marathi describing the Battle of Koṇdānā fought against the Mughals on 4 February 1670. Shivaji’s hero was Tanaji Malusare, the Mawala, who sacrificed his life to win the victory. To celebrate the conquest and as a tribute to Tanaji, Shivaji said: The Fort is won but the Lion is lost, गड आला पण सिंह गेला”.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhagad

The eighteen-syllabic poem here is a symbol of a great and intense occult victory over the forces of Darkness.

कोंडाणा, आता सिंहगड, एक प्रतीक

घटना ४ फेब्रुवारी १६७०ची, एक प्रतीक

मावळा झाला अमर जिंकूनि इतिहासाचा गड,

क्षेपूनि सह्याद्रीवर यशवंती आत्मविश्वासाची;

खाली निर्घृण दरीत होता काळाकभीन्न अंधार,

साठलेला युगायुगांचा, होई तेथे सिंहगर्जना;

नेते एक दैवी शक्ती लढवय्याला विजयाकडे,

धीरोदात्त निर्भयी होता शरण त्या महानतेला;

कोंडाणा शौर्याची प्रतिष्ठा, वाढवी उंची पर्वताची,

विलक्षण असे की, होई आकाशदेखील अवाक;

शततारांकित गौरव खड्गांचा, हारतुऱ्यांची रास,

झेंडा फडके त्रिकाल दृष्टीच्याही खूप पलीकडे;

आला होता तो अतिगूढ क्षण अनंतकाळातूनि,

छेद करीत जड रात्रीच्या भयानक शांततेचा.

७ सप्टेंबर २०२५

Here is a rendering into English by Akash Deshpande:

Mawla became immortal having won history’s fortress 

Piercing the Sahyadri with successful self-confidence*

Below in the cruel valley the deep black darkness

Accumulated over ages and ages, there the lion roared

A divine power leads the warrior to victory

The fearless noble braveheart dedicated to that greatness

The prestige of courage at Kondana raised higher the very mountain

An extraordinary sign that muted even the sky

The rocks gloried hundred-starred, garlands and plumes arrayed

A flag unfurled far beyond the sight that sees the past, present, future

That fathomless moment had arrived from eternity

Cutting the heavy night’s terrible silence

* with mountain lizard, ghorpad, घोरपड, of self-confidence; यशवंती she the successful, is the name of that lizard