Many Brahmans of Maharashtra opposed the anointment of Shivaji as king. This is a well-known fact. According to the system of Chaturvarna and the old Hindu laws, only Brahmans and Kshatriyas had the right to become a king. Even though Shivaji was a warrior, even though he had conquered what could easily be a kingdom, religious law said that he was not entitled to be a king. Some doubted his being a Kshatriya. And others did not bother whether he was a Kshatriya or not. For them, even if he belonged to the Kshatriya kula, he did not remain a Kshatriya because he had suffered samskar kshaya. His
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