Respect For Women
Shivaji Raje grew up admiring his mother, and it was only inevitable that he would have a deep respect for women. Shivaji maharaj always stood for the honour of women and made sure that whoever dishonoured women has to undergo harsh punishments.
There is an incident happened when his soldiers (mavalas) attacked enemy and arrested their womens and brought in Maharaj’s court .Maharaj immediately ordered for their return with safety to their respective places from where they belong.
Even women from captured territories were treated with respect and released unharmed when one of the mughal sardars was cornered by the marathas & were arrested During the raid on Kalyan (October 1667), the Bijapuri Governor Mulla Ahmed's young daughter-in-law, who was extremely beautiful, fell in the hands of a Maratha officer Abaji Sondev.
Abaji sent the lady with a suitable escort to Pune thinking that she would be an acceptable present for his master, but Shivaji Maharaj, on her arrival exclaimed, "Oh, how nice would it have been if my mother were as fair as you are", implying that in that case, he too would have been equally fair, and at once sent her to her home with apologies for her capture. Maharaj showcased an example as how to deal with women by comparing her with her own mother & freed her with all her dignity kept intact . What makes maharaj great here is despite the mughals raping & abducting womens for fun maharaj was on the other side of it. The assurance was of such level that even the mughals were confident that the marathas won't harm their women even if they were arrested. There was an exception only once when one of the maratha soldier tried enforcing himself on a brave women when maharaj was returning from his successful south mission. When maharaj came to know about this matter he immediately took a stern heart terrifying action against the culprit and himself apologized for the crime committed by his soldier. Maharaj didn't cared about the position while dealing with matters on women safety.
He also issued a stern warning that in future, during raids and war with the enemy, women on no account should be made to suffer or treated as booty.Shaista Khan sent Rai Baghin (lioness), wife of a Sardar Udit Raj Deshmukh, along with his commander Diler Khan to conquer Konkan , while Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj surrounded Rai Baghin and Mughal Diler Khan at Kolhapur in the night and Diler Khan escaped after saving his life. Wife of Udit Raj Deshmukh surrendered before him but Shivaji Maharaj showed hospitality towards her and sent her back.
There should be no women, female slaves, or dancing girls in the army of Shivaji Maharaj. He who would keep them should be beheaded. In enemy territories, women and children should not be captured. Muslim invaders to India used to abuse and rape Hindu women, Shivaji absolutely refused to follow the same path like his enemies, even when his close advisers and officers encouraged him to do so with the Muslim women.
Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj use to treat women like his own mothers and sisters with uttermost respect, this is one of the main reasons behind his greatness and a true depiction of a warrior .